To Charge Against the Heavens is Noble
by TheLandMaster
Summary: The status quo is meant to be changed. Your actions always will resonate somewhere. Go forth, and challenge what stands against you. That is the road for freedom. (Self-insert One Piece fanfic. I know it sounds terrible but hear me out)
1. Chapter 1

"Please sign the extra-dimensional form on the second line"

"No ma'am, I'm afraid tesseract-induced travel damages is not covered under your existence plan"

"May I recommend the planar existence bonus packages, sir? They guarantee a second attempt should you meet your untimely demise before the stated goal"

"I'm sorry, the ability to forcefully choose a love interest is only available to Plus Souls clients"

Sitting on the bench, I did the one thing I could. I waited. My feet shuffled on the floor, hands tucked between my knees as I eyed nervously the line of young men and women to my sides, all seated in similar plastic seats. Around us, crystalline walls formed small cubicles, each one seated by a woman or man in a pristine blue-and-gold three piece suit, two small wings protruding from behind their ears, talking eagerly with others, showcasing translucent forms and waving smalls sticks that wrote in soft glowing letters. To the left side, I saw a small line going onto a room where others entered glowing pods connected to the walls, a blinding light emanating from inside the closed ones. To the right, a figure clad in engraved plate-armor calmly ushered new arrivals through a beautifully-crafted metal archway, politely asking that they empty their pockets whenever the arch beeped with a chime. Above them, on the immaculate marble walls, a sign written in silver cursive.

_TRANS-DIMENSIONAL RELOCATION CELESTIAL ENTERPRISES_

How did I get myself in this situation…

…

Oh yeah

**-O-**

"Dammit, I'm gonna be late!"

I rushed up the steep incline of my hometown, munching on a cereal bar and backpack bumping against my back. I looked down at my watch… 2:05pm. 25 minutes to run the rest of the 3 kilometers to school. I felt the wind brushing against my hair, careful not to trip on the loose rocks on the sidewalk. Ahead, I saw the crosswalk, ready for—

"… Wait a second"

I stopped just short of the crosswalk, cereal bar hanging like a cigar from my mouth. The train of thought that went by my head was quite simple:

An empty street.

Food hanging from my mouth.

Being late.

Running headlong onto said street without too much attention.

I took a few more seconds to look to the sides, yet I saw nothing. No parked cars, no pedestrians, not even birds or animals. Just me, the street. I pondered for a few seconds, before carefully putting my foot forward, just over the edge…

And reeled back immediately as a truck seemed to materialize out of thin air and dashed past me, billowing dust behind it and barely missing my extended foot. I fell back on the floor, fall cushioned by my backpack. But in a few seconds, I stood up again and brushed the dirt off my clothes.

"Oh-hoho… Nice try there, truck-kun. But it'll take more than that to send me to another world" I laughed out, taking a triumphant step forward…

"… Wait why do I hear La Cucaracha?"

_WHAM_.

**-O-**

Turns out, when a regular truck fails to hit you, they send the taco truck next to "another world" you. Gotta say, that was not the plot-twist I was expecting.

"_Number 4487603528, please step forward to booth 114"_

I peered down at the small slip of paper that had been given to me, and saw the long numbered sequence just spoken. A quick glance to the side found me booth 114, a green crystal light hovering lazily over it. A single chair sat right beneath it, and right in front, a counter with another attendant behind it. The only unique feature on her, unfortunately, were her cyan-crystal eyes and _long_ blonde ponytail. Bar that, she… Honestly looked just like any other member of this… Group? Organization? Company, we'll go with company.

"Hello there!" she chimed out cheerfully, her head tilted slightly to the side. "I am pleased to offer Celestial Enterprises' services to you!"

"Umm… Thank you… Though, I wish you guys had been more uhh… Subtle… With your service offer"

"Please understand that Celestial Enterprises chooses its reward program members at random, sir, and we wish to at least be able to offer our services once" she added almost mechanically, carefully setting aside some papers. "We apologize if it caused you any problems, but rest assured you will be returned to your proper dimension after your reward period has been finished, or you declare your experience satisfactory". I took a moment to ponder that statement, chin resting on my hand.

"… So… I'm not exactly dead?"

"Yes, that is correct"

"So if I wanted to return…?"

"Provided the trial time has passed, you'd be free to return to your own plane"

"And the reverse?"

"Also true. Please sign in this line"

"Oh, sure… And my destination?"

"Pre-picked according to your preferences"

"Right. Here you go"

"Alright, now please fill in this form with all the required information…"

Overall, it wasn't a very complex process. Just time-consuming. Writing everything down and handling all the paperwork for being isekai'd took much longer than I expected something like this to. But in the end, I had everything written down. My chosen appearance, a broad-strokes background, place of origin…

And name.

Fullbring Saga.

World of destination: One Piece.

I held the small stack of papers trembling, scanning over every written detail. This… Would be me. My life for the foreseeable future… It was quite something.

"And with that settled, please follow me to the transport pod, sir!" said the attendant. With a wave of her hand, the table slid onto the walls and opened up passage, letting the girl walk away towards the corridor once to my left.

The room was significantly smaller than I had expected. Instead of an impossibly large room filled with thousands of people, instead there were… Ten pods, in a room about the size of a slightly-larger dinner room. It seemed to have emptied out compared to when I arrived. The pods were not glowing anymore, and instead were open, six metallic petals stretching outwards. Inside, a gel-like substance wiggled even in the lack of wind, with small holes all around the walls. I walked closer to one of them, but the attendant swiftly grasped my wrist and turned me to another pod, opposite to the one I had picked. I took one more glance at the gel, then myself, then her.

"… So do I… Undress, or something…?" I asked nervously, sliding my coat off my back. The girl simply pulled it back onto me and pushed me onto the pod without a warning, that way-too-cheerful smile still on her face. Surprisingly, I did not feel any cold from being pushed onto space Jel-O. It instead seemed to just wrap around and over my body, like the air had become solid. It wasn't… _Bad_. At least I didn't have to get naked for it. The girl pressed something on the sides of the pod, and the petal doors slowly closed over my view, giving one last glimpse of the attendant waving and smiling at me.

"Please enjoy your new experiences, sir, and contact us for any needs!"

Darkness came just as quickly… Followed by light.

**~O~**

**Attempt 2: Electric Boogaloo**

**So yeah… I wasn't really happy with how I was writing Across Seas. It was too… Weird.**

**All over the place and what not.**

**So I decided instead to re-do it from the ground up. First by not trying to play the "TOTALLY NOT A SELF-INSERT YOU GUYS" card, and then going with a more original story line. Be warned, it will take time before Saga meets the Straw Hats, so if you're here for them… It'll take time. For now, just a quick intro onto how I ended up on One Piece. More humorous than my previous attempt.**

**Hopefully it'll end up in better quality.**

**So here we go… Let us see the rising of a dragon.**


	2. Chapter 2

Trumpets and drums rang over the air triumphantly as I wove my way through the crowds in the street, shoving to the side as gentle as I could to the sides when someone ended up blocking the path. The ragged cloak wrapped around my body fluttered, kicking up dust around my feet. The wooden houses became more and more spaced out as I moved towards the main street, hearing the music grow louder and louder and the crowd thicker.

"C'mon, excuse me… Please move… Lady, please _move_" I mumbled out, arm stretched outwards. I heard complaints and grunts, but I let those go unanswered. With one final push, I finally broke away from the cramped mass of people, and onto the less cramped edges. Even draped head-to-toe on a dusty brown cloak, with my face shadowed from view, it seemed people were more concerned with watching the oncoming parade. It made sense at least, I had arrived recently to the island and it wasn't a very big place, a parade of any kind would call attention. And it _was_ an interesting one.

Marine grunts marched in perfect formation, rifles resting against their shoulders and legs stretched out with every step. Right behind them, cannons and mortars rolled down pulled by horses in groups of six. Overall, standard Navy gear. But what came behind them certainly wasn't.

Right behind the artillery rolled up small jeeps and armored cars, toting heavy cannons and turrets atop them and spewing smoke from two smokestacks on their rears. Silver robots stamped down besides them, their armor shining against the high sun and lugging two gatling-guns strapped to their forearms. Between them, heavier looking models lugged large multi-barreled cannons, thumping loudly against the floor.

I watched the passing forces, letting out a low whistle. "Well, that's not something you see everyday"

"Tell me about it…" came the reply from the left. A quick peek to the side revealed a young couple holding each other close, eyeing the parade with a mix of apprehension and disgust. "The captain always liked showing his stuff, but this… This is new". That little finish got my attention.

"So, I take it the parades are common?"

"Not that much" added the girl, finally glancing over to me. If she was bothered by the full body cloak, she said nothing. "They only happen every five months or so"

"That infrequently? You'd think his ego would explode"

"He has to wait, he's only in charge when the commodore's away"

"Commodore?"

"Commodore Soku" answered the boy, in between waiting for the music to die down enough for a regular conversation. "He's the actual leader of the garrison. Captain Goto is only in charge in his absence". I gazed back, seeing a glimpse of a few more Marines on horses, carrying along flags bearing the island's emblem.

"Does he really have a reason to leave this much? The area seemed pretty damn quiet"

"We don't know why… He tends to leave pretty quickly sometimes, we always wondered where—Urgh, here he comes..."

The growing sound of metal grinding against stone and against itself, and a very loud and _big_ engine made me turn my head once again. And lo and behold, here comes the main show.

The _pièce de résistance_ of this parade was fittingly grand and pompous. Right at the rear, for all to see, came rolling an absolutely _massive_ tank. Its hull was painted a very dark green, a stark contrast to the more… I'll be generous and say heroic… colors the navy usually flaunted. It reminded me much of the colors of their battleships. Turrets and cannons peeked out from view slits all over it, and at the very top, the elongated main gun gave a clear warning of pain and destruction to those who challenged it. Right below it, standing as triumphantly as he could… The captain.

Credit where credit was due, he certainly had the look down. A massive brute of a man, with arms as thick as logs, a chest as broad as a barn, stretching the white tank top underneath to its limit. The classic white coat was draped over his shoulders, golden pauldrons glistening ever so slightly. White pants and heavy-duty construction boots covered his lower half, and from each side in his hip hung two whips, their length covered in square spikes. His hair was green and short, combed back in a spiky mess. It didn't help his face one bit though. Eesh, it's like someone tried to fix the mistake with a jackhammer but made it worse. The stupid big grin he had didn't help matters.

"Well, there's the captain" I muttered, tugging my hood carefully ever so more over my head. Didn't hurt to be careful, after all…

"PEOPLE OF NISSUS ISLAND! IT IS I, YOUR GLORIOUS CAPTAIN GOTO!" bellowed the man, his arm stretched outwards. "I HAVE COME, TO ALLOW YOU TO WITNESS THE GROWING GLORY OF THE MARINES! BEHOLD!"

"THESE ENGINES OF MIGHT AND JUSTICE WILL BE THE NEW PATH TO PEACE! YES, FOR IT IS, CAPTAIN GOTO, WHO HAVE DEIGNED TO CREATE THEM! ALL PIRATES AND ENEMIES OF THE GOVERNMENT WILL TREMBLE IN THEIR WAKE!"

"Sheesh, he's louder than ever today…" muttered the girl, eliciting a low chuckle from me. Not that the Marine didn't have a point, however. An arsenal like that would probably have given pause for most pirates or nations, should it come to be mass-produced. Of course, I already knew that the ones that would _need_ to be cowed by that really _wouldn't_. Said thoughts probably didn't cross his mind as he kept gesticulating like a madman, arms stretched upwards.

"YES, FOR THIS IS THE POWER OF THE GOVERNMENT! TREMBLE, AND BOW IN AWE OF THE—"

_SPLAT_

The perfect opening, of course, for the mother of all overripe tomatoes to smash against his face, covering his entire head and shoulders in thick tomato paste.

Now truth be told, _my_ reaction was clasp a hand over my mouth and muffle the laughter that barely escaped my lips. The reaction of the _crowd_, however, was to gape in shock and horror at that particular image. To each their appropriate response, I suppose.

The captain, on the other hand…

For the briefest of moments, he remained silent. And still, like a statue. But ever so slowly, his entire body started trembling and shivering, his hands sloooooowly reaching for his whips, fingers almost strangling their handles. His eyes darted side to side, glancing over the entire crowd in an instant. Suddenly, he turned towards the left with a murderous glare, pulling out one his whips and lashing. The tip almost disappeared from sight as the weapon stretched out above everyone's heads. A crack of leather, a yelp, and a body went sailing towards the street. I heard gasps around me, but none louder than the couple that I had started a talk with.

"Oh no!"

"Matsu!"

"So… It's you again, you miserable little brat…" growled out Goto, his teeth grinding together in rage. "Yet again, you try to disrespect me and the foundation of Justice that I represent…". The captain grasped the second whip by his waist, letting both hang ominously as he near-strangled the grips for his weapons. Said whips began to spin around as Goto waved his hands, the tips disappearing into a solid wheel from sheer speed.

"Little punk! I will show you, the meaning of CHALLENGING JUSTICE!". The captain's arms shot forward, the whips disappearing in a blur and headed straight for the boy. Screams rose from the crowd, people wincing away from it.

I didn't feel the weight of the cape as I dashed forward.

That wouldn't do, would it?

**-O-**

_SNAP_

Matsu kept his eyes closed, waiting for the impact. He knew the captain, he knew that pompous ass was cruel enough to taunt him before the actual blows.

But… He heard nothing.

No lashing of the whip, no screams in the crowd, not even the laugh of the captain.

Well, at first.

"Y… You _dare!?_"

Ever so slowly, Matsu opened his eyes, and was greeted with a sight he… Honestly did not expect. Just in front of him, with two whips wrapped tightly around his wrists, was his savior. He was tall, and well-built… And that was all he could tell. The big cloak covering him didn't leave much to sight. He _did_ notice something on his arms… Looked like scars?

Wait, focus, Goto was talking, pay attention to that. Could help a lot in getting away.

"Who are you?! How dare you stand against the might of Justice?!" screamed the Marine, tugging against the whips wrapped around the stranger's arms.

"I dunno, might be because you were about to whip a kid?" snarked back the man, his fists clenched tightly as the leather dug onto the cloth.

"He disrespected the Navy! He who humiliates the Marines will be punished for their sins!"

"Maybe if you put on a better show you wouldn't have tomatoes tossed at you, it's basic knowledge…"

"You BRAT! You would badmouth that which brings you safety!"

Matsu could have been a bit shaky from being tossed on the floor, but he swore he saw the air around the man flutter lightly at those words. Goto, however, kept on going.

"Still… Kokoko… You're strong, I can tell. Not all can resist the strength of my arms. I can bench-press four hundred pounds after all!" he scoffed, the muscles on his arms bulging out ever-so-slightly with that statement. "Yes, that is the strength that I wield as a Marine!"

"God you ever thought about joining a band, tooting your horn like that…" muttered the man under his breath, just low enough that Matsu barely heard it.

"So! I make an offer to you, you wayward soul!". Goto slammed his foot down somewhere beneath him, and two metal claws unfolded from under the platform the marine stood on. Both clamped down on the whip handles tightly and pulled them taut. Goto grinned wide, jumping down onto the floor and walking over to the stranger. Around him, grunts carefully aimed their rifles forward, the robot soldiers watching impassively with their arms by their side. The captain walked 'till he was just in front of the man and puffed out his chest. "Bend your knee to this all mighty army, and to my authority… And I will forgive your sins. Hell, I'll even throw in an extra mercy and allow you to join the Navy! After all, strength like yours should not be wasted! Now… Say those words~"

It was like lightning raced over all those present, Matsu especially. They had seen this happen before, oh so many times. A cocky pirate or gutsy fighter would show up, try to fight the captain, and be defeated soundly. He'd offer them to join, they'd refuse, he'd beat them further and toss them onto a prison ship and sent off to be judged far away. It was how always was… And now stood this man in the same spot.

Matsu watched in fear, seeing the man's arms lose their strain, his shoulders sagging ever-so-slightly and head lowered… And then he heard something muttered.

"… No…"

"Hm? I couldn't hear you, boy… Speak louder~" cooed Goto, leaning over right next to the man's face and cupping his ear with one hand. "What was your answer again?"

"… Fat. Chance"

_WHAM_

A knee shot upwards and slammed against Goto's chin, a resounding and sickening _crack_ ringing out in the air. The captain was catapulted back, launched into the air and falling back onto his tank. The move, however, served to dislodge the cape from his body, allowing the crowds and Matsu to see him in full.

He was big. Not like captain Goto, far more proportioned. But he was tall just like him, almost two meters, with a fair skin tone. Thick muscles adorned his body, most contracted in readiness. A red hakama with flame imprints covered his lower body, with two wood getta for footwear. A rough-looking and sleeveless uwagi covered his torso, colored black and with a red kanji for "freedom" on its back. His hair, black and blue, washed down to his shoulders and waving slightly at the wind and contrasted with his eyes, golden with black sclera.

And then there were the scars.

They covered his entire body, rough white lines running and wrapping around every single inch of skin, even wrapping around his face. And Matsu noted, they all seemed to come from his back…

"Y… Y-Y-You…"

Matsu turned his face toward the tank, and saw a large hand grasp the edge of the podium, hoisting up a battered and bruised Goto from it. The boy had to stifle a laugh when he caught sight of the captain's ugly mug looking even worse now with the bruise and a few missing teeth. The gathered Marines watched in shock and horror as their officer glared daggers at the stranger.

"Y-Y-Y-You… You…!"

"Hey, it's me. How ya doing there, big guy?"

"I KNOW WHO YOU ARE, YOU BRAT!" bellowed Goto, crushing the steel railing beneath his fingers. "YES, I'VE HEARD THE RUMORS! YOU… YOU'RE SAGA FULLBRING! YOU'RE THE WANDERING DRAGON!". Gasps escaped from the crowd as heads turned all around, the people muttering to each other.

"Wait, he's the Dragon?!"

"Why is he here?!"

"How did he even get in the island?!"

"ALL TROOPS! YOU HAVE YOUR ORDERS! CAPTURE HIM!". And with that, a wave of blue-and-white surged forward towards him. Matsu felt a hand upon his collar drag him back to the crowd, a young couple bracing around him away from the fight. They watched as the soldiers rushed against his savior… Yet Matsu squirmed in their grasp, and even though he was deafened by the shouts…

"MR SAGA, RUN!"

He screamed.

**-O-**

Breathe…

In… And then out…

_Breathe…_

I didn't hear the sounds of the Marines running towards me… The crowd yelling… The ugly laugh of the captain I tried fixing the face of…

No, just…

_**Breathe**_

I felt the power build on my arms… There it was, a smooth flow… I trained hard to control it, after all… I shifted into a stance, one I practiced religiously…

In…

"Conqueror Dragon Fist…"

**AND OUT**

"**STRONG IRON WAVE**"

I thrust my closed hand down, a wave of wind, solid and thick, blasted out around me. It exploded outwards, smashing Marines aside and tossing them back, flying out onto the crowd or robots still marching forward. Shouting mixed with clanging of metal rang on the air…

No time to focus on that. I dashed forward just as a hail of bullets peppered the ground I was standing and continued to chase after me as I ran. I pulled closer onto one of the bigger robots, just as it swung its arms to hit me.

Too slow.

"Steel Hard Gauntlet!"

I thrust my fist forward, smashing against the chest plate of the machine. A wave of Armament Haki flew out from my hand and exploded out the other side, exploding the machine like it was made of plastic. Another one swung its arm downwards aiming for my head, only to meet my forearm half-way down. The gun arm clanged back and reared, giving me just the opening to kick the machine in the legs, blasting them off and dropping the torso to the ground. A stomp to the head finished it off.

"Two down, hundreds to go" I growled out, before a few bullets flew over my head and got me back onto the game. Another stomp to the ground lifted a large boulder upwards, shielding me from the gunfire…

_BOOM_

That is, before I was reminded that the robots weren't the only guns around, when one of the vehicles blasted the rock apart with its cannon. Pieces of stone flew out and pelted my body as I flew back and skidded across the floor and smashed against another vehicle.

Ow.

"DO NOT LET HIM GET AWAY, SEIZE HIM!" bellowed the voice of the captain from somewhere. Footsteps boomed near me, the telltale sign of approaching Marines. That won't do.

I pushed up with my legs and turned to look at the vehicle I crashed on. A big metal dent had caved its side in, and smoke was billowing from the engine block.

It also seemed to not have people inside.

Perfect.

I dug my hands onto it, grasping the metal plating tightly. The second I started hoisting it up, the plating groaned and shifted under my fingers. God, this is shoddy craftsmanship…

Oh, the face of the Marines when I turned around to face them were AMAZING.

"Shipping on time for everybody! Here's your package!".

They all seemed ready to run, they _really_ did. In hindsight, they probably should have.

Instead, the armored truck flew straight towards them, smashing on the ground just in front of them. Couldn't give them a reason to add "Marine killer" to my future bounty after all. Said Marines flew back from the impact, scattering bodies and weapons in equal measure as machine soldiers marched ever staunchly forward.

Time to bolt!

One mighty push onto the ground, and I was dashing away from the place in a blur, barely glimpsing the blur of people around as I made a break away from the town. If memory served me well, if I kept going this way I'd hit the west edge of the town leading straight towards the forest. Army of the future or not, they couldn't chase me that well on the thick foliage. Even as their noise and the shouting of the mad captain died down on the distance, I couldn't help myself but chuckle.

God, it felt good to finally put all those years of training to use…

Now I just had to live enough to find my first crewmate here. Easy peasy. For now, running.

Later, though… I had an engineer to find.

**~O~**

**There we go, finished the second chapter.**

**Quick introduction to the world first and foremost.**

**And indeed, we've begun in the West Blue. We never really visited it so I'm using the Blue as a starting point for the fic. We'll follow a completely original plot all the way to a quick run onto Loguetown, then straight original till Alabasta.**

**No more reveals till then, boyos.**

**Also, I wonder if anyone noticed the teeny clues on the chapter… Suffice to say, I ain't dropping those truths for a long time~**

**How long?**

**Not till nearing the timeskip**

**For now, have a good afternoon everyone!**


	3. Chapter 3

_Somewhere in the woods…_

The woods were fairly quiet. Bar the chirping of birds, some ruffling leaves and grass from a few animals, it was peaceful.

Except for me of course.

_Grooooooooooooowl…_

And my unfortunately empty stomach.

In hindsight, I probably should have waited to piss off the Marines _after_ I had managed to get myself something to eat. That would have been just fine.

"Dammit… Probably should go back to the ship…" I mused out-loud, resting a hand over my abdomen. "Could grab some of the food there… Nah, scratch that. That guy Goto would probably follow me to it and try to bomb it to hell… Aaaaahhh, dammit, why's this shit so complicated!".

I rapped my fists against my head in frustration, before flopping back against the trunk of the tree I stopped to rest at. This was taking too long…

If the dates were about right, Luffy had already left Dawn Island and probably met at least Zoro by now. Might have even reached Buggy by now. Which meant I had to pick up the pace. Build up my crew fast, repair the ship, gather supplies…

Why did sailing have to be so complex…

_Groooooooooooowl…_

"SHUT UP!"

"Huh, didn't think you'd be such a weirdo"

The slightly mocking voice piped up just off to my side, from inside a rustling bush. Just as I pushed myself to my feet, however, my worries went away as the figure inside it came out: it was the boy I had rescued in the town.

"I think you looked cooler punching the robots and doing martial arts" he quipped before throwing me a small bag. It fell right in front of my feet, and a peek showed it was filled with—

"Oh my God thanks kid" I barely stammered out, reaching onto the bag and pulling from the various sandwiches and pieces of meat inside to shovel them onto my mouth. Honestly, I'd probably have focused more on manners if it wasn't for the fact I was practically starving here. "You're a life saver".

The boy chuckled, pulling an apple from his pocket and taking a bite from it. "Funny you're calling me that, when you're the reason I didn't get whipped to a pulp"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have gone and thrown tomatoes and the megalomaniacal Marine captain with an army of robots"

"Goto deserved it though" he spat out venomously, his brow scrunched in anger. "He's the worst… Always stirring up trouble when the commodore isn't around. And now he's got all those weird machines"

"Yeah, someone in the crowd said he didn't have those before. Any idea where he got those?"

"No one knows for sure…" answered the boy, now somewhat sullen. "One day he just kept yelling and ranting about having found "the true path for Marine dominance" or something like that… But he never actually said what it was or how he got it…".

I took a moment to rest a hand on his shoulder, giving the kid a reassuring pat. "It's alright, Matsu. I'll try to do something about it". That got his attention, the boy staring at me with wide eyes. "Truth be told, I have my own reasons to be here in the island"

"You do…? But why? You saw what happened when you went to save me, they'll kill you! As long as they know you're in the island, they won't leave you alone!" he cried out, hands tightening into fists. I took a moment to stare at him, when a chuckle escaped my lips. Carefully, I slid off my uwagi, letting it hang from my forearms and baring my chest to him. Matsu peered at it and let a gasp escape his lips as he caught sight of the scars upon it.

The _many_ scars.

"Trust me, buddy… I can take it". I didn't know if he caught my voice getting lower…

I hope he didn't.

"Now, you said no one knows for _sure_" I added, slipping my clothes back on. "But that also means you have _some_ idea of it. What did you hear?"

"Well… A few days ago, a couple of Marine ships docked. Weird ones too, they had a different symbol on their flags. And Captain Goto made sure nobody could get close to them"

Bingo.

"And nobody found it suspicious?"

"But it was such a short time ago, how did he build an army like that so fast?!"

"Maybe he shipped the army itself in the ships?" I queried, propping my chin on my hand, but the boy simply shook his head.

"No, they were pretty small ships. A bunch of sloops and a caravel, not nearly enough for… All of that". The boy looked back in the direction where the town was, before turning back to me… And shivered as he caught my massive grin. "U-Umm… Mister?"

"Well, you just confirmed my suspicions. He's here" I spoke with quite some joy in my voice. "Glad the rumors weren't wrong"

"He? Who's he?"

"The person I'm looking for in this island… And my future engineer" I replied as I stood up and cracked my knuckles. "Say, where's the Marine garrison?". Matsu's eyes widened at that remark, however, and shook his head desperately.

"Uh-uh! No way, you're not going there by yourself! You'll end up sinking this entire island with the way you do things!" he cried out, arms crossed in front of him.

"Look, I need to find that engineer, whoever they are! Don't you want to get rid of Goto and his tin cans?"

"Yeah, but not if we end up with a flat nothing to live on!" he shouted back, motioning to the trees all around us. And as much as I hated to admit… He did have a point. Just going there and kicking the metaphorical door down would lead to an early bounty, a fight I'm _almost_ sure I could win easily but would ruin the town, and some angry Marines chasing me down like an animal. Too risky… That's when the boy grew a playful smile upon his face. "But… I _could_ sneak you into the place"

… Come again?

"… Come again?"

His smile only grew wider, arms crossed and a playful look in his eyes. "Oh, come on, you really think a little trickster like me doesn't know how to get into their home? Please, that's insulting". He reached onto a pocket in his pants, pulling out a carefully folded paper out of it. "This here is a map of the place. I know every nook and cranny… And every way of getting in without being seen"

I looked at the paper expectantly, carefully reaching out for it, but Matsu simply yanked it away from my reach. "And let me guess… You won't give it to me, unless I bring you over?"

"That's right mister~"

"… You little son of a bitch, I'm in"

**-O-**

_Around the same time, Marine Base of the 56__th__ Branch…_

"DAMN THAT BRAT! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM I'LL—"

"Captain please, calm down! Your injuries are—"

"I AM NOT INJURED YOU MONGREL, IT'LL TAKE MORE THAN THAT TO HURT ME!"

To say the mood on the Marine garrison was tense would be… An understatement of colossal proportions. None of the soldiers had ever seen their captain so angry before, even during his most stressful times when his pet project had started hitting some hiccups. But now…

"Damn the Dragon…" growled out the captain as he tugged the bandages around his head even tighter. "How dare he humiliate me! ME! And my great creations, just like they were nothing! All the time and effort spent on building them, and they are made like toys in front of the townspeople! GRAAAGH!"

Goto had never felt such fury before. And the target of it was the damn idiot who dared to stand against him. But it would not stand, not at all…

He had heard the rumors surrounding the Wandering Dragon. A young man of incredible strength, sailing alone and who had been circling the West Blue for some time now. He did not have a bounty, no, since he hadn't been classified as a pirate or even a criminal and hadn't committed any illegal activities until today. But he was a person of interest for one reason. One singular reason…

"Have you found his ship already?!" bellowed the captain, turning to face the terrified recruits tailing him. Sycophants, all of them!

"N-Not yet captain!" whimpered one of them, a brown-haired boy closest to him. "W-We are still looking for it, but rest assured, we will—"

"WILL WHAT?! STUTTER AND BE AFRAID?! ALL OF YOU ARE A PATHETIC EXCUSE OF MARINES! WE HAVE A THREAT TO THE SANCTITY AND DOMINION OF THIS ISLAND, AND ALL YOU DO IS SPEAK! FIND ME THAT SHIP, OR I WILL PERSONALLY—"

"CAPTAIN!"

His apoplectic tirade against the terrified soldiers was mercifully cut short when yet another recruit rushed in. The sweat-drenched Marine tossed his backpack aside and threw himself onto the floor gasping for breath, head lowered and eyes closed.

"C-Captain Goto, I… I have a… Report!"

"Then speak it already, dammit! Do not waste my time and patience any further!" bellowed Goto, though by this point the surrounding area had probably gone deaf enough it sounded normal. The exhausted Marine took a few more precious breaths, before shakily raising to his feet, arm snapped into a weak salute.

"The… The scouts have returned from their… Search missions, sir!"

"And?! What did they find, speak already!"

"W-We were unable to find the suspect sir…". He would have continued, but once more the air in his lungs was insufficient. And that pause was just enough for all the others to realize the aura of _sheer murder_ emanating for the trembling giant that was Goto. His eyes shadowed, he reached ever so slowly to his whips, his fingers twitching all the while. "But… We did discover something else, sir!".

Thankfully, that seemed to give pause to Goto's impending, though only by the flimsiest of threads going by the way the captain still started to strangle the handles of his weapon. "**Speak**"

"We've located… the suspect's ship!"

And with those words, the captain's anger was dispelled. His entire body locked up, hands still clasped around his weapons. The marines around him watched both expectantly and terrified at their commanding officer, even the recent arrival. Then…

"… Kokokoko… Kokokokoko! KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO! _**KOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKOKO!**_"

He laughed. He laughed out loud, boastful, the same way he did when his metallic army had been completed. His arms spread out, back arched so much he faced the ceiling, his entire form shaking with sheer glee, Captain Nakoto Goto could only be happier if he had been made Admiral of the Fleets, or even a Five Elder Star.

"AH, YES! WHY WORRY ABOUT A WORTHLESS BRAT, WHEN THE TOOL FOR MY VICTORY IS WITHIN REACH! TO HELL WITH THE DRAGON, THERE ARE GREATER PRIZES FOR US TO FIND!". The captain turned to the recruit, pulling the young man forward and staring at him with crazed wide eyes. "TELL ME THEN, NOW, WHERE WAS THE SHIP?!". The recruit stared fearfully at his CO's unhinged face, and gulped down the massive lump forming on his throat.

"I-I-It… It was on the no-northern shore, captain!"

"THEN TO THE NORTHERN SHORE WE GO! RALLY OUR TROOPS, WE WILL SEIZE THE DRAGON'S SHIP FOR THE GLORY OF THE NAVY!"

"B-But the captain, the Dragon—"

_SNAP_

"Argh!"

The soldier that had made the mistake of trying to dissuade their current leader found himself lashed across the chest, a deep bloodied gash across his torso and staining his perfectly white shirt.

"Let it be clear, you INSOLENT CUR!" growled the captain as he reeled back the whip onto his hands. "It matters not what the WHELP does if we possess his method of travel, and if we can destroy it! He doesn't know of our wish to keep it intact, nor to not hand it over! The Dragon will be ignored, and we WILL focus solely on his ship, _is that UNDERSTOOD?_"

"S-SIR, YES SIR!" came the terrified reply from the remaining recruits as they snapped into supremely stiff salutes, even as some carried away their wounded comrade away. Goto let his gaze run over the gathered soldiers, before whipping around in a dramatic fashion.

"LET US GO! OUR PRIZE AWAITS!"

**-O-**

_Some hours later…_

"So that's the place?"

"Yep"

"And you know the good way in?"

"Uh-huh"

"It seems a bit empty"

"It seems like it, doesn't it?"

"What's with the décor?"

"Beats me"

"You're not giving me anything useful you know"

"Maybe you should stop asking things and go inside already"

"Uuuugh…"

In hindsight, I was regretting this already. Somewhat. Mostly.

Well, Matsu _did_ get me to the point he promised me, that being the easiest place to enter the garrison.

Didn't change how _weird_ it looked.

I mean, I still remembered how most Marine bases were very weird, like Nedzu's having a rat head atop it, or G-5 looking like it was patched up with spit, tape and prayers. Hell, Marineford was still kinda weird, in a supremely cool way.

But none looked quite as weird as the 56th Branch that stood before me.

It's like someone had grabbed a bag of gears and slapped them onto a building. Seriously, it was just three cylinders with gears coming out from the sides all over, numbered 1 through 3, and a few rectangular buildings surrounding them. The rest looked fairly standard, there were training grounds for the troops, warehouses for which I assumed were their guns and new toys, a chain fence all around with barbed wire atop it, watchtowers… Standard stuff.

How did Matsu get in here again?

Better ask.

"So, how exactly are getting in?" I pipped up, glancing towards the boy laying prone on the ground next to me. It had been some ten minutes already of nothing but staring, jeez.

"Hang on, just let me check one last time…" he muttered under his breath, eyeing somewhere I couldn't really tell exactly where, before giving me a thumbs-up. "Alright, coast's clear, follow me". He then proceeded to rush ahead, with no cover to hide behind or a general plan.

Okey dokey.

I rushed after him as quickly and as silently as I could, keeping my body low to the ground as physically possible considering our surroundings. Not two minutes of silent running later (in which I swear I saw him Naruto-run, and I _hope_ he didn't for his own sake), we reached a particular part of the fence. For me, it seemed like a normal piece of the fence like all the rest.

And then Matsu, still with the biggest grin ever, lightly pushed on a part of the metal and it—Oh son of a bitch.

"Seriously, that's it?" I asked bewildered, even as I stared at the cut patch of the fence, the metal bent inwards as Matsu pushed it inside. "A cut part of the fence? THAT'S the big secret?"

"Hey, give me some credit!" he sniped back as he crawled through the hole. "You know how long it took me to find out this is the ONE place they never check? Quite a long time!"

"Oh yeah, and how did you find that tidbit out?"

"I dropped a bag of fish here when I saw the troops walking past it, and they never bothered to check for it. Smell was nasty after a while, and Goto kept blaming the recruits for not cleaning properly"

"… That is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard in my life… Whatever, let's go in" I added, quickly sliding myself through. We took a moment to look around, and failing to spot any incoming guards, ran towards one of the three cylindrical buildings, specifically number 2. The silent dash was not that long, and soon Matsu led me to a small door to the side, conspicuously facing away from the side facing the road leading towards the village. Oh yeah, real subtle stuff. Yet when he fiddled with the knob, the door did not budge.

"Dammit, _today_ they lock the door?" he muttered, pulling on the knob a bit harder, to no avail. "Oh come on, this ain't fair—"

"Allow me". I gently pushed him to the side, gripped the knob and gently pushed it.

_Gently_.

The door basically exploded inwards from the force, the hinges twisting on themselves into uselessness and leaving the large piece of wood hanging from my grip on the knob.

"There we go" I said with no little amount of satisfaction as I propped the now broken door against the wall and stepped into the now open hallway. "Now its unlocked". All Matsu did in response to that was roll his eyes and step forward.

"You're as subtle as a cannonball"

"And just as effective for this kind of stuff. So, where to now?"

"Uuuugh… This way, come on".

Pacing the corridors was surprisingly not difficult. No alarms of any kind, no cameras, the lighting was good… Hell, there wasn't even any sentries or guards—

Scratch that, there was one.

I managed to hold Matsu in place just before the turn, just as I heard the sound of his boots striking the floor. I peered around the corner just to be safe, and lo and behold there he was, one of the most generic Marine grunts I had ever seen, luckily facing away from us with his rifle resting against his shoulder. I turned back to Matsu, and gave him a quick pat to the shoulder before giving him a "wait" sign, getting a nod in response. I checked the corner once more, and fortunately the guard was still facing away from us. Go time.

With a single bound, I dashed forward towards the Marine and swept my leg against his feet and threw him off-balance. My arm wrapped around his neck in a chokehold, with the free one resting against his back.

"Let's take this easy, shall we buddy?".

In hindsight, I probably could have made a better one-liner than that. I didn't think much of it at the time, however, since Matsu just casually strolled up and stood in front of the immobilized soldier.

"Oh, hey there August, how are things going?" he asked nonchalantly, hands on his hips.

"Hello there, Matsu" he replied in an equal tone, slightly glancing back to face me. "Still getting in with the wrong crowd, I see"

"Eh, he's nice. Just a bit thick-headed"

"I can see that"

"Still, that was a pretty cool trick he pulled huh?"

"You know, you two could acknowledge the fact I'm right here" I added dryly, letting go of the soldier and taking a step back. The man ran a hand over the creases of his shirt, and calmly placed his rifle down on the floor. "So I take it you're not a big fan of the captain, either?"

"That's putting it lightly. Most people here are terrified of him, but they keep quiet because he can be… _Overeager_ when it comes to corporal punishment. At least when the commodore's not around"

"And any idea when the commodore's coming back?"

"Well… Here's the thing. He should have already been back"

"What?"

"Yeah, the commodore normally only stays away for a few weeks at a time" said Matsu, hands in his pockets. "But… It's been three months already".

Oh, that can't be good…

"Nevertheless, if you're here to try and beat him up, you're a bit too late. And I suggest you get to running" said the Marine, arms crossed and with a very serious look on his face.

"And why's that? You're not gonna try to arrest me, are you?" I asked, my hands twitching minutely beside me, but August simply shook his head.

"I don't need to. If you don't hurry up, you'll probably be stuck in this island for some time"

"… Come again?"

"Do you know why this base is so empty of troops right now?"

"Yeah, what's up with that, August?" asked Matsu, giving a glance out a window into the courtyard. "Isn't this supposed to be training time? Where's everybody?". The soldier gave the boy a calm look, before turning back towards me. His face did not make me confident.

"We got orders from the captain back a few hours ago. He gathered up every soldier he could take bar a skeleton crew, and went off to destroy a priority target found at the northern part of the island"

… Oh.

So that was it.

"The northern part?" asked Matsu. "But there's nothing there, its just jungle and rocks! What did you guys find?"

"… My ship"

I uttered those words just loud enough that I ended up heard by the only other two people in the hallway. Both turned towards me, seeing me looking out the window with a stone-cold look on my face.

"They're heading after my ship"

"Correct. So unless you want to be stranded here or lose your vessel, I suggest you—"

"No"

"What?! Saga, your ship is in danger! You gotta get back to it and help—"

"No" I said quickly enough, and in that moment a smile spread upon my face. "I left my ship in good hands. If Goto wants to try and take it… Well, he's welcome to try. Right now, the engineer is the priority. And speaking of that…". I turned to face August, arms crossed and gazing him directly in the eyes. "Would you know where he or she is?".

The Marine rested a hand on his chin, eyes closed in thought. "… Say that I know that information. What do you plan on doing with it?"

"I want to have them join my crew. Been in need of someone with that skillset, and so far this has been the best lead so far. And hey, a plus would be Goto loses access to his fancy tin army" I said with a cheeky grin. "So you guys stop having him scream and rant all around the place about it, and maybe your regular jobs back?"

August didn't reply at first, instead scrutinizing me from top to bottom. And dear lord, for a grunt-level soldier the look he was giving me didn't look that different from what I presumed Smoker's to be like. He held it for quite some time, before letting out an exaggerated sigh.

"Very well then, listen closely"

Score.

"A few days ago, Goto had us on high alert. Told us a high-priority package was coming, and that we had to make absolutely sure no one got in the way of the delivery. We noticed he had been quite antsy ever since the commodore left the island, but never as bad as that day. He even slapped around one of the recruits that asked what was in the package. Pick-up was the same, no questions asked and it traveled inside a sealed car all the way here. Next thing we know, yesterday he starts saying he has an invincible army that would be a game changer for the Navy". He pointed towards one of the buildings further towards the back of the base, one that looked somewhat cleaner than the others. "As far as I know, the package was sent to Building 4, but nothing more than that".

"Alright… That's good enough for now. Thank you, August… And umm, sorry for putting you on a chokehold"

"Eh, the captain's done worse. It's fine"

"… Noted. Alright, take Matsu and get out of here, I'll go to the building"

"What?! No way, I came all this way, I'm staying!" yelled the boy, yet again crossing his arms in front of his chest. Only this time, I knelt down to his level, and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving the calmest and worried look I could muster.

"Matsu, if you stay here, and they get wind that you helped me, it'll be the Marines and Navy after you, not just the captain. What I'm about to do will probably land me a bounty, and I don't want you to get tangled with it"

"But… But I…"

"No buts this time, Matsu" I said low, before letting a smile spread across my face. "Someone's gotta keep this place lively after I leave". He stared at me for a couple of moments before dropping his gaze, arms slumping down by his side in defeat.

"Fine…" he admitted in defeat, before quickly leveling a glare at me and clenched fists. "But if you cause any trouble, I'll make sure you regret it, you hear me!"

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Matsu". I then turned towards the Marine standing to the side, him having just retrieved his rifle from against the wall it had been placed. "I'm trusting his safety to you. Get him outta here safely" With a nod towards August, I stood up and ran down the hallway, leaving behind the boy and soldier as they rushed back towards where the two of us had come from.

As it turns out, August was right. As I dashed down the hallways, I came across only three other soldiers patrolling the entirety of the base. Only this time, I made sure to not try any one-liners or stealth takedowns. Leave that to the professionals, just pass them by when their backs were turned and make no noise. Simple, effective, and guaranteed to at least somewhat cushion the blow of the possible bounty.

Yeah, right.

With how things were going, I wouldn't be surprised if the commodore dropped back by just as I was getting away.

I quickly noted the sign marking the following area as "Building 4", a heavy steel door blocking my path and covered in "DO NOT ENTER" and "TRESPASSING PUNISHABLE BY DEATH" signs on it. Smooth, Goto.

I dug my hands onto the thin line separating both halves of the door and heaved, feeling the metal and whatever mechanism kept it shut. I felt my muscles bulge and strain, but with just a bit of effort they gave way, parting just enough to let me through and allowing me to close them back up with only a very dry-sounding _clank_ to give me away. With that done, I turned back to the path that I had just oh-so-graciously opened, and gazed upon the hallway ahead of me.

… Nothing.

Now, I don't mean in the general sense that it had very little to see upon it, or that it was very minimalistic. I mean in the sense of, there was _nothing_ in it. No lights, no windows, no security…

Just a long tunnel enveloped in pure darkness, and what I hoped was an easy stretch to my goal. Hopefully.

"… Alright… You can do this, easy steps… One at a time…" I muttered under my breath, slowly pacing forward and keeping a hand to the walls. I could feel their texture, completely smooth to the touch. Not even a rivet to show where it had been welded. All featureless, just like the darkness around it. Yet I could tell, there had to be something at the end of this, there simply had to—

One close call saw me step on empty air where I expected floor to be. I knelt down and reached out on the empty space and with a little more prodding, found myself a step for a set of stairs. Ever so slowly, I climbed down the stairs, the darkness just as oppressive here as it had been the entire way. It was… Pretty unnerving, all things considered.

Thankfully, it seemed to come to an end not long after. Some five minutes of nothing but walking and going down the stairs like a character in an unfinished horror game, I found myself staring at a small square room with very weak green neon lights surrounding it and mate black walls, giving it a very ghostly look. Yet still, nothing. There were no lines on the walls, no obvious marks… Even as I walked around and knocked on them, I couldn't hear any sound of echoes. But why would they have this entire place? An entire building with nothing on it, no lighting or people, yet being called the source of the machine army for the garrison which was under alternate management…

…

Was this a trap? Had I been tricked? Was August just pretending to be friendly and had lied about the engineer being here? And I left Matsu with him, what if he—

"No, focus!" I ended up saying aloud, rapping my fists against my head. "It can't be this, it'd make no sense! Why would they let me in this far just for nothing?!"

"**It really wouldn't, would it?**"

The distorted, mechanical voice immediately put me on high alert, my body instinctively shifting to a martial stance as I desperately checked my surroundings, yet I could see nothing. The walls were still the smooth black I had seen them as when I entered. Where was it coming from?

"And I suppose you'd know what this is… Whomever you are?" I asked cautiously, my head in a swivel as I tried to catch any clue to the origin of the voice.

"**Well of course. I built this place, after all… Well, this room and this building more precisely, but that's besides the point**"

"And the point exactly would be…?"

"**Oh, right, I should probably get to that. One moment please…**". I meant to question what exactly the voice meant, when the entire room suddenly shook, and I heard the soft whirl of a motor around me. "**There we go, probably should have done that before**"

"Is… The room moving?"

"**Yes it is. Took me a day to set it up but was it worth it. At least I could just ship Goto back to the hallway any time he got too mouthy or too douchey to me. Oh, the look on his face was the BEST. One moment, you're almost there…**"

Just as he said those words, the room once more lurched forward as another sound rang, this time of what I assumed to be security clamps, followed by the entire wall sliding down onto the floor. Just ahead of me was… Quite a room.

While the hallway I had walked into had been nothing but darkness, and the room I just had been was just spooky green light, this one was teeming with all kinds of cabinets, crates and tools. Pieces and half-assembled robots and machines were strewn across the floor and tables, some with tools still stuck to them and others hanging from the ceiling from chains and claws like a butcher's shop. Further into the back, I could see a large swivel chair facing away from me, and a huge console with an assortment of buttons and dials I did not know the function of nor could guess, and dozens of monitors showing several different parts of the base, such as the surroundings of the fences, the outside area of the base, even the…

…

Aaaahhhh, _fuck_.

"Oh yeah, if I had actually wanted to tattle on you, I would have rung that alarm while you were outside with the kid. But then again, it would have been rude to shoo you away like that" said a very youthful and cheerful voice in the direction of the panel, before the chair spun around and revealed a little hypocrite when talking about Matsu.

He looked pretty young, barely up to his sixteens if I had to make a guess, with a somewhat pale tone. His short red spiky hair stood mostly up, with a short bang covering his left eye, the rest folded back by a pair of square goggles upon his head and leaving his other, green-colored eye uncovered. He wore a sleeveless lab coat over a blue shirt with a chemical model written on it, probably of some important element, and dark blue cargo pants with red and yellow sneakers for footwear. His hands were covered by fingerless gloves, and his left wrist was covered by a strange metal bracelet. And he had the biggest shit-eating grin I had ever seen in my life.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet ya, Wandering Dragon" he said, crossing one leg over the other and pulling a chocolate bar from a pocket in his coat. "So, happy to meet who you've been looking for all this time?". I gave a knowing smile and walked forward just enough that I was just in front of the boy, arms crossed and slightly tilted backwards.

"It sure is. Glad to know you really were on the island, engineer"

"Please. Call me Gears. We got some things to talk about don't we?"

"Indeed we do…"

**~O~**

**I'm stopping this here.**

**I wanted to add one more cliffhanger, but I'll instead be more cruel and tease you all with something to answer in… Give or take, two or three chapters.**

**Sorry this took so long to get out, folks. End of the year was… A very not okay time for me, had to deal with a lot of bullshit at work. Managed to work most of it out, but still got some to work out tomorrow/today. Like apparently the fact they'll send me home if I talk too much.**

**Yup.**

**In the good side, I heard some things I… Really needed to from some people I hold dear, and I also finally bought a new PC! Yay for my hard work paying off!**

**In other news, I'm… Somewhat happy with this chapter? I don't know, I feel like there's thing I can do to improve yet I also don't know… It's weird.**

**I'm mostly satisfied with it, so I suppose that's as good as I'll get.**

**I also decided to settle on alternating between TCAtHiN and Iron Flower, so next chapter will be the other story. So stay tuned for that!**

**Reviews and critics are welcome, trash talk the story as much as you want, and till next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

"… Hey August"

"Yes Matsu?"

"I forgot to tell you something, actually"

"Hm? And what would that be?"

"This."

"… ?!"

"Sorry about this, August… I hate using your own sleep bomb against you… But I don't want you getting involved in this whole thing. Whatever that Saga guy is gonna do, he needs time…And I won't let Goto get away with this"

**-O-**

"I bet you're wondering why I brought you here, aren't you?"

"I mean yeah, considering you kidnapped me into your lab"

"… That's pretty mean for you to say, you know?"

"Alright, then, why did you bring me here?" I asked, arms crossed as I tried my best to look indifferent and/or menacing to the apparent boy genius sitting in front of me.

I just hoped the crossed arms didn't look like Gedatsu's right now, that'd be embarrassing.

It didn't seem to work regardless, considering the way Gears continued to stare at me with an unamused expression, before shrugging and hopping off his chair. "Well, might as well get to business" he droned, moving to one of the consoles upon the wall. With amazing reflexes, he typed down a few commands on the keyboard, and suddenly all the screens began showing various places all over the island. We could see the town, some parts of the woods surrounding it, even the docks where all the ships were.

And all around, were Goto's robot troops.

They searched the entire town, entering shops and homes uncaring of the people inside, questioning the citizens and rounding them up into buildings. The cars and tanks from before roared past in the streets, smashing stone pavement and any cart of possession in their way. A few Marines oversaw everything, showing to the corralled people vague sketches of myself, and of a crude drawing of something red and long…

"… Is that… My ship?" I asked, arms dropping to my sides once more.

"Yup. Turns out, big ol' Goto decided to play nasty. He already went for your ship, and decided to warn everybody else that aiding you is punishable by imprisonment" replied the young engineer, turning to face me with a now far more serious look. "I mean, good job saving that kid, we all know Goto would have hung him from his ankles or something messed up, but now he went after you and your way out"

"I'm not worried about my ship" I replied quickly, my eyes still glued to the screens. "Goto will never be able to blow up my ship, let alone get close to it"

"You sure seem confident… Got any more friends I should know about?"

"You… Could say that"

Gears gave me a long stare, before shrugging and hitting another button on the keyboard, shutting off all the screens. "Welp, your funeral. So, you mentioned wanting to meet me, right?" he finished, sitting back down on his chair and pointing to another just off to the side. I pulled it up and sat down, and boy was the chair small. How it held me up was a miracle of its own.

"That's right. I wanted to give you a job offer with me" I replied, sitting as casually as I could on the dinky chair offered to me. Legs spread, arms crossed, slightly slouching back…

Did I look good?

I probably did.

Gears gave me a once over, and judging by the look, it probably wasn't working. "Uh-huh".

Definitely not working.

"Alright, I'm going straight to the point. My ship needs repairs and someone who can take care of it. And as far as I've heard, you're the best damn engineer in the Blues and probably in the Grand Line".

Bar one or two exceptions, but he didn't know about Franky. Let's not get into that.

"Well, you definitely heard that right" he replied with a smirk, rubbing his finger under his nose. "Ain't nothing I can't fix or make, and I think I proved my point by… Well, you know" he said somewhat sheepishly, waving at the screens.

I turned to look at them, before turning to give him a halfway menacing glare. "Yeah, I was gonna ask… What's with the army of the dented out there? You really helping the Marines oppress folks, or just helping Goto specifically?"

Boy, were those the wrong words to speak. As soon as I finished speaking, Gears gave me a glare I did not expect a sixteen-year-old to be capable of having. Especially with one eye hidden.

"You better rethink what you just said there, mister dragon. Or we're gonna have this discussion somewhere more… Public"

"Well then, enlighten me. Because right now I'm seeing an army of very well-built tin cans stomping around the town and only one person who could have built them" I shot back, leaning forward in my chair. "And you don't look very… Coerced into it". Gears continued glaring at me, before letting out a heavy sight and slumping on his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Alright… From the top then, I guess"

"I'm all ears, Jimmy Neutron"

"What even is that…" he muttered, before shaking his head. "Alright, listen: Yes, I'm not being coerced by the Marines to stay… But I have a much better reason for it, and that's me building those things was the best option"

I took one glance at the screens again, just in time to see an armored car running over a girl's doll, before looking back at the engineer. "Uh-huh"

"I'm serious. Look, you had an easy time breaking them apart, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Do you honestly think I'd build something so shoddy and be satisfied with it? I built them far worse than my usual standards BECAUSE I want them beat"

… What?

My arms drooped slightly, and I'm pretty sure the confusion in my face was obvious, considering the smile Gears now had in his face. "Hold the phone, what are you talking about?".

The boy stood up and walked towards the computers, running one hand over the metal casings. "I came here because I thought it was under orders from Commodore Soku, so that I could help with things around the base, or something like that… Instead, I meet the bag of hot air himself and next thing I know, I'm being ordered to build him an army"

"Why didn't you leave, then? If you were here to offer help, then you could have just left, right?"

"No, I couldn't. Because now that I knew what he wanted, he could have slapped any kind of fake crimes on me and get me arrested…", he said calmly, before turning to face me in full, his entire expression now far more serious. "If I didn't do it, then someone with less restraint would have done it, and not sabotaged the whole thing in the end"

… It did make some sense, after all.

Dangit, now I was the asshole here.

"Alright, you've… Mostly proven your point. So, if I want you in, I got to get you off of Goto's greedy big hands?" I asked, getting up from my own chair. Gears looked at me for a moment, before chuckling and shaking his head.

"Interesting way of putting it, but… Yeah, that'd be about it. Though it depends on what you got to offer, of course" he replied, pulling a chocolate bar from his pockets and undoing the wrapping. "Because you and I both know, the moment we smack down Goto from his high tower, is the moment we get bounties. And I'd rather not end up a criminal" he finished, taking a large bite out of the candy.

"Think of it this way: you said you came here because you thought the Commodore had called, right?"

"Mhm" he replied, his mouth still stuffed.

"And you ALSO said that Goto never specified WHO called you up here, right? That he just ordered you to build those robots"

This actually seemed to give Gears pause, the boy slowly swallowing his chocolate as the (heh) gears turned inside his head. "… Riiiiight"

I clapped my hands together, a smirk upon my face. "So, imagine if you had, say… A letter that just so _happened_ to have been written by our dear friend Captain Goto, claiming that you were called by the Commodore here". I walked closer and gave the boy a pat in the shoulder, before turning to look at the computers, pointing to the screens. "Wouldn't it be a shame?".

Gears stared at the screen, before an _evil_ grin spread across his face, and a twinkle of mischief started shining on his eye. "I'd say… That it really _would_ be a shame if I had something like that". He typed a few more keys in the console, and where once was live feed from the town, was now pictures of papers signed by, who else, Captain Goto. "And it'd be _such a shame_ if I just so _happened_ to have a way to make that letter, wouldn't you agree?"

Oh, was I set on getting him on my crew now. There was just one problem…

"Still, if we're going to fight Goto, we're gonna need a bit more help" I said in a more serious tone, arms crossed once more. "I'm all for a big fight, but still… two hundred to one isn't a ratio that'd make me very happy to jump in". Yet when I heard a scoff sound out from beside me, I knew I'd definitely like the reply to what I said.

"Please, as if I'd be caught dead unprepared like that" replied the boy genius, but instead of fiddling with the computer once more, he instead pulled a remote with a large red button on it from his pocket, pressing down on said button and then stuffing it back. With a loud clang, the floor once more sunk beneath my feet, lowering us in a platform onto another dark space beneath a pre-existing room.

I'd have to make sure he didn't dig my ship into the bottom of the ocean doing this.

Though my thoughts were quickly throw from that into… Other corners when a few flood lights turned on and illuminated the inside of what I now realized was a subterranean hangar.

With something very… _Conspicuous _resting on the middle.

"So" piped up Gears, holding what was left of his chocolate bar between his teeth, a wide grin once again upon his face. "What you think of my back-up plan?"

"… I feel like we're gonna be _best of friends_, buddy"

As if in reply, two yellow lights flashed to us.

**-O-**

Dammit.

Dammit, dammit, dammit!

DAMMIT ALL TO HELL AND FIRE!

Goto stewed in his fury and anger, enough that it could surely boil the water that covered him head to toe. The troops that accompanied him likewise were just as drenched, yet were smart enough to keep their mouths shut and keep walking.

Besides, they knew to say anything would welcome being lashed, perhaps several times over.

But that wasn't upon the captain's mind. No, he was too consumed with stewing his anger and reliving his latest failure.

The scout _had_ been right, and indeed the ship of that brat, Saga, had been moored on the northern shores. And of course, Goto lead his troops to destroy the wretched vessel and present its burning wreckage to that pretend pirate. Maybe even better, he could capture it and use it as the flagship of his soon-to-be-made fleet. He'd be unstoppable, invincible! Surely, Marine HQ would give him a promotion for bringing down all the scum of the seas in the Blues, maybe even in the Grand Line! Yes, what a victory it'd be!

But no! NO!

Instead, his attack was stopped by that… That _thing_!

Instead, his perfect army was being squandered in town interrogating people and looking for some runaway criminal, while his TRAINED MARINE TROOPS were laid waste by a single attacker!

Humiliating! Inconceivable! IMPOSSIBLE!

But no! He had to curb his rage for now!

Even if the troops under him were UTTERLY USELESS, he knew his army of machines would do the job. They would find that criminal so-called dragon, and he would force him to have that… That abomination laid down!

Yes… All would be solved!

And if it wasn't… Well, the boy was always a good scapegoat. He'd just claim the little kid built the army to try and attack the city, it wouldn't be too hard to prove what with all the broken machines.

The commodore would surely believe him, after all these years serving under him!

But not now! Now he needed to plan. He needed to make sure the pieces were in the right place.

"All of you, listen up!" bellowed Goto, quickly turning around to face the masses of defeated troopers behind him. Said troopers collided against one another, bodies slamming together in a massive effort to not hit the barely-controlled captain. Goto himself gave a scathing once-over, his hands inching towards his whips, but a quick clench of his fingers put a stop to that.

Embarassing, all of them.

"You are all aware of the machinations of the Wandering Dragon, Fullbring Saga! And you have witnessed the foul tricks he is willing to employ against the righteousness of the Marines!" ranted the captain, waving his arms in gestures he believed theatrical enough for this. "But we fear naught! We are the Marines! We serve the glorious military that brings Absolute Justice to all who try to harm the common folk of these Blues!"

"But I say NO TO THAT! WE WILL SHOW THE FULL POWER AND GLORY THAT THE MARINES CAN MUSTER!". The captain turned to the direction of the town, pointing an authoritarian finger towards it. "As we speak, our comrades are looking for the treacherous criminal, no doubt fully being supported by the common folk, and aided by the machines that will be our future! So now, my fellow men-at-arms, let us march upon these streets once more! Let us show the civilians that we can bring order upon them! Now, FORWARD MEN!"

And so, with the most minute of increase in morale, the column marched once more towards the town. Goto heard murmurs amidst the gathered Marines, all of them questioning the strength of his army, how much luck they would have considering their last battle, and exactly _how_ they could capture the criminal.

The captain's hands strangled the handles of his whips. It would seem some… Disciplinary action would be needed in fixing their morale and conduct.

It was not long until they walked into town, and what Goto saw brought a satisfied smile to his face. All throughout the streets, he saw his machine soldiers walking up and down, eyeing the now-gathered civilians lining the sidewalks. His vehicles rolled down slowly, their guns swiveling side-to-side scanning for any threats, all the while the few troops he deemed competent enough to lead _his_ army guided the mechanical troops throughout and showed posters for both the brat Saga and his ship. They were not official posters, sure, but nothing a call to HQ would not fix. Any made-up accusation would suffice, he just had to pull a few strings.

Goto puffed out his chest in pride, walking closer to the gathered civilians with a large, proudful smile. "Greetings once more, citizens of Nissus Island! I see that you all are cooperating with the authorities for the arrest of that vile criminal!" he shouted, waving his arm above the gathered crowd.

He looked down at the people, and strangely enough, he saw not looks of awe and admiration, but instead looks of disgust, disappointment… Anger.

Had that criminal scum corrupted them so much? Very well, a show of power, then.

"Very well then! I see that my message of glory and safety has not been emphasized enough. Allow me to reiterate then…". The captain snapped his fingers, and immediately one of the many tanks rolled forward, aiming its gun towards the forest. "Perhaps you all have been thinking that our glorious new tool of safekeeping are beneath their standard… Allow me to demonstrate otherwise… FIRE!"

The cannon roared to life, a plume of flame and smoke erupting from the barrel as a large metal shell flew from inside it and disappeared into the foliage. Moments later, a massive explosion shook the surroundings, a black and red cloud bursting through the trees and launching broken bark and branches all around. The people screamed and huddled together, even some of the Marines recoiled at the large blast, yet Goto stood tall, watching with great satisfaction the destruction that a single vehicle could bring.

"Here! You witness the true power, the absolute strength of my new weapon against pirates and criminals! Leave this as a reminder that no matter what powers evil-doers may possess, no matter if they carry Devil Fruits, these weapons will be the future of the Blues! OF ALL THE MARINES!" Goto screamed, his eyes filled with madness and glory-seeking. He waved his arms even more, hands squeezing invisible shapes and spit flying from his mouth. Under him, the people cowered, watching in horror and shock the crazed captain rave and rant. "LET IT BE A REMINDER, I AM THE ONE AND ONLY PROTECTION TO ALL THIS ISLAND!"

_SPLAT_

And once more, a gasp escaped from the ground as for the second time since his unveiling, an overripe tomato smashed against Goto's head, this time striking the back of it. Red mush wrapped around his hair, dripping down onto his shoulders and clothes, the raving captain's expression freezing completely.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Goto raised one hand towards the back of his head, scraping some of the pasted tomato from his head. Staring down at the smashed vegetable, the captain began shaking, veins popping up in his neck and head, his entire face turning as red as the object of disrespect thrown at him.

"The only protection we need around this place is of you!"

Goto's head nearly snapped from his body as he turned towards the voice, both his and the crowds' eyes wide in different measures of shock to gaze at the diminutive figure standing atop the roof of one of the buildings.

With a ragged cape fluttering in the wind, a bag at his side bulging with unknown contents, Matsu stared down defiantly at the unhinged captain, gripping in one hand a small blue ball and in the other a Marine baton.

"You think you're the big hero around here, Goto, but you're nothing but a phony!" screamed the boy, pointing his baton at the infuriated captain, who only seemed to shake even more at the show of defiance. "You think you can take the commodore's place, acting like a big shot, but I know when he comes back he'll kick your ass!"

_CRACK_

Screams of surprise sounded out from the crowd as pieces of stone and pavement were launched into the air like bullets, smoke from the pulverized ground wafting into the air around the whip buried underneath a crater. Strangling the weapon's grip, Goto looked at the boy.

A rabid beast would have been a better picture of sanity at that moment.

"YOU IMPUDENT LITTLE KID! YOU WOULD DISRESPECT THE NAME OF THE MARINES LIKE THIS?! DISRESPECT _MY_ NAME!" he screamed, pointing his remaining whip at Matsu. "I CARE NOT FOR YOUR AGE, CRIMES AGAINST THE NAVY WILL BE PUNISHED ACCORDINGLY! AND FOR REPEATED OFFENSES, YOUR CRIME WILL BE _SEVERE! _TAKE THIS, LASH OF AGONY!". Goto lashed out with both whips, the tips flying towards the boy and blurring out of existence.

Quickly, Matsu jumped to the side, the roof where he once stood exploding into debris. He gripped the blue ball upon his hand tightly, hearing a satisfying click, before tossing it into the air.

"Special Technique, Matsu Special: Smoke Bomb Blast!". The boy swung his baton and smacked the ball towards the gathered Marines. The ball smashed at the ground just in front of them, and immediately exploded into a large cloud of blue smoke that expanded over the street, covering a large group of robots and troops and blocking their view. Thrice more Matsu repeated the same action, with the remaining balls covering the entirety of the street. Marines and civilians alike coughed within the smoke, yet Goto seemed uncaring with it, instead furiously looking around for any sign of the boy.

"STOP ACTING LIKE IDIOTS AND FIND HIM! MACHINE SOLDIERS, ADVANCE!" bellowed the captain, and in response the robots backed away from the herded crowds and walked all around, their heads swiveling to-and-fro searching for the diminutive fighter. The engines of the armored cars roared to life, their exhaust pushing the blue smoke away with their own white one, driving down the street with guns at the ready.

"Special Technique, Matsu Special: Grease Puddle Hell!"

Black balls broke through the clouds of smoke and smashed against the floor, undoing themselves into large puddles of oil. The cars were not agile enough to dodge and instead ran right over them, skidding out of control and slamming against each other on a large car wreck. Goto grit his teeth even harder, the creaking sound they produced giving chills to any close enough to hear it. It was in that moment, however, that Goto caught the faintest shape of something at the edge of his vision. Turning his head quickly towards where he had spotted the shape, Goto reeled back his arm in preparation…

"VICIOUS LASH BITE!"

Before snapping his arm forward, the whip once more disappearing from view. Only this time, what echoed in the air was not stone or tiles breaking, but instead the sound of tearing cloth and skin, followed by a scream on pain and the _thud_ of something hitting the ground.

"FOUND YOU, YOU BRAT! FIERCE LASH HURRICANE!" shouted the captain, pulling back his whips and whirling them like fans around. Strong winds began blowing, the leather whizzing through the air at high speeds and blowing away all the smoke, and revealing two things: one the wreck caused by all the armored cars crashing against one another in a large pile upon the middle of the street.

The other was the fallen body of Matsu upon the ground trying to push himself up, grunting in pain with his shirt torn and with a large, bleeding rash on his back.

"KOKOKOKO! As I thought!" laughed the captain as he walked towards the fallen child. "You're all bark and no bite, BRAT!", and he punctuated that by stomping on the boy's back. Matsu cried out in pain, hands balling up into fists and teeth clenched. Goto turned to watch the crowd, seeing their horrified faces, before turning once more to glare at the boy upon the ground, raising his fist into the air. "Let this be a lesson to all of you… The might of the Marines… IS ETERNAL!". And with that, Goto brought down his fist, aimed straight at the boy's head…

"**Strong Iron Wave**"

Before a powerful wave slammed against his back, launching the screaming captain onto the pile of car wreckages, toppling several of them to the ground. The Marines looked at their commanding officer crumpled into the metal in astonishment…

"You know, if you really wanted to find me this badly, an invitation and a card would suffice…"

And then turned to face towards where the voice sounded out. The voice of the man that had been their target throughout all these days.

They watched Saga Fullbring walk forward, fist thrust forward and with a cold, _cold glare_ aimed at where captain Goto had landed.

"Then again…" he continued, cracking his knuckles and twisting his shoulders. "Right now you got my full attention".

"Heh, gotta say… Seeing you work live is a lot better than through cameras" piped up another voice behind Saga, followed by a young red-haired boy in a lab coat walking from behind the fighter. As they approached, Goto finally dragged himself from the scrapheap that surrounded him, shaking the daze away.

"Who… WHO DARES DO THIS TO—Gfgh!" yet his tirade was cut short when he saw both figures approaching him. Both the outlaw that he wished to arrest… And the secret he had kept locked tight within his base.

"What's wrong there, old man? Cat got your tongue?" asked the red-haired boy cheekily, putting both his hands onto his pockets. "Don't mind me, glad you stopped all your shouting, but it still kinda shocking, you know?"

"Y… Y-You! How did you find him?! What did you do to get him?!" asked the captain, panic and anger oozing from every word he spoke. The boy looked up at the sky in thought, before giving a nonchalant shrug in return.

"Eh, he just offered me a better job opportunity than you. Truth be told, I'd have taken it just from that. You know, better work place rules, easier hours…". At that moment, the boy turned back to the captain, and brushed away the bang covering his eye. Beneath it, a purple eye glared back alongside his green one. "But right now, I'd do it for free. As long as I get my pound of flesh here"

The captain stared at both new arrivals, his eyes wide open and mouth hanging agape. That's when his chest began heaving up and down…

"… Ko… Kokoko… Kokoko! KOKOKOKOKOKOKO! KOKOKOKOKOKOKO!"

And Goto laughed. He laughed aloud, his head thrown back and hands clamped against the wrecked metal to brace himself. He laughed for an entire minute, uncaring of the horrified crowd, or even that a good Samaritan ran out into the open and grabbed the fallen Matsu before dragging him back to the relative safety of the sidelines. Finally, Goto slowly stopped, shaking his head and climbing out of the wreckage.

"Ohhhhhh… Oh, and to think! That the criminal I hated more than anything since he's arrived in my island! And the brat that gave me the keys for Marine domination, would give me such joy!" he bemused, even giving a single clap to them. "But I'm afraid you two have forgotten an important part of your imbecile plan"

"And what would that be, Captain S&M?" asked Saga, already setting himself upon a fighting stance. In reply, Goto simply grinned and reached into a pocket in his jacket, pulling from it a small remote.

"The fact that I outnumber you… And outgun you". And with a press of three buttons, all went into motion.

The machine soldiers all around abandoned their guard duties and ran towards Goto, forming up into squares between him and the two younger fighters. What few cars remained drove from further inside the town to beside them, almost running over several of the Marine troopers still standing on the streets. And finally, from inside one of the large hangars in the Marine base, the massive tank Goto rode upon roared to life and burst through the doors, barreling down the fences surrounding the 56th branch base and speeding towards the town.

**-O-**

The captain looked proudly at his encroaching "masterpiece", then turned to give me and Gears an absurdly smug look. "So then, _fools_. Any last words before I unleash the glorious firepower of my army upon you?"

Gears looked towards the approaching metal behemoth, before turning back to Goto with his own mocking glare. "Well, a couple of them come to mind… You ready for this, Saga?"

I simply smiled and gave a nod, before taking off the top of my gi and tossing it aside. "After you". And with his own smile, Gears pulled back the sleeve of coat, the young engineer revealed to all a metallic watch upon his wrist, which he placed upon the front of his mouth.

"**Launch, Brave Soldier**"

**-O-**

**VOICE COMMAND RECOGNIZED**

**OPERATOR, GEARS HARDBOLT**

**BRAVE SOLDIER, COMMENCING LAUNCH SEQUENCE**

The entire 56th branch shook, rattling all that wasn't nailed down onto the floor, when suddenly the training ground split open upon the middle, large metal plates sliding to the sides and dropping the contents onto the black hole that was now formed…

Before five metal objects blasted off towards the city, leaving a massive trail of smoke behind them.

**~O~**

**I took a brake from Discarded Blade to write this, just because I missed it so much.**

**Truth be told, while I love The Iron Flower and appreciate how much attention it got with only four chapters, I still feel more at ease writing this and DB.**

**Because I deal far more with characters that are mine (and in this case, myself) than having billions of characters that I am most definitely prone to get wrong.**

**I'll be honest, I'm pretty sure Charge the Heavens will be quite messy. I don't know how well it'll end up, but the most important thing?**

**I have fun writing it. Both it and Discarded Blade are the stories I have most fun thinking about and planning, and it'll probably be them that I focus on. It might not be the one that gets the most views or attention, but it's the one I'll stick with.**

**Now bear in mind everyone, my medical leave ends tomorrow, so writing time WILL receive a massive crunch once I go back to work. I will continue to try and work as best as I can on these stories, but the updates won't be as generous as they were these last two weeks.**

**Still, messy at they might end up being, I'd like to thank everyone who gives the time of day to check out my stories. It means the world to me, and I'd be happy to continue.**

**For now, until the next time, and remember to wash your hands, folks!**

**LandMaster out**


	5. Chapter 5

"Hoh boy, I can't wait for this"

As soon as the sound of rockets echoed all the way from the 56th Branch, I knew I was in for something _amazing_.

Or, as a certain cyborg would put it… Something SSSSSSSSSUUUUPER.

Especially because it'd be three years earlier.

And right now, as I watched five objects roaring towards all the gathered people, I couldn't keep the stupid-ass grin off my face.

"Wha… What is that, you rebellious brat!"

Goto's reaction, on the other hand…

We turned back to the sight of the captain somehow looking even angrier than he had been previously. All the hot air he had built when bringing forth his weapons seemed to deflate, replaced instead with gritted teeth, a twitching eyebrow, clenched fists and enough veins mapping his forehead and neck that I could probably chart a path with them. Overall, not the most dignified image for a Marine captain. Gears cast a glance at the captain over his shoulder, before donning a massive smirk, hands once more in his pockets.

"Come on, cap'. You really think I spent all that time building your toys?" said the engineer with a nonchallant shrug. "Those were my side projects. I mean, if I put _any_ effort into them, you think they'd lose to karate man here?"

"You know I'm right here, right?"

"I'm aware of it" he replied, briefly turning his gaze to me. "Now, where was I… Oh, right".

And when Gears turned back to Goto, there was determination in his eyes, just as the flying objects shot down towards us.

"Teaching you a lesson in firepower"

_**SLAM**_

Two of the objects landed hard, kicking up a cloud of dust that covered both me and Gears for a brief moment, before jets of wind pushed it all aside, revealing in their place something else.

"… Legs?"

Goto stared incredulously at the two limbs upright on the ground, when the further roaring of engines called his attention upwards, in time to see the remaining three speeding down.

Upon both legs slammed down a larger piece, parts moving to form a rounded torso as it connected by spherical joints. Two more spheres slid out at the shoulders as the last two flying parts parted from one another mid-flight and then back towards the half-assembled machine, slamming against the torso. From the ends slid out hands that clenched into fists as the limbs lowered themselves.

Gears slid his goggles over his eyes and jumped back towards the machine, the torso opening up to reveal a cramped cockpit inside, the boy sitting down inside as clamps wrapped around his waist, arms and legs and the hatch closed down. Finally, from the back swiveled up a head, with no features bar the two large glass eyes and two fin-like ears.

"**Brave Soldier! Assemble!**". The robot slammed its fists together and thrust one arm forward, eyes flashing brightly as…

… As an explosion went off in a nearby hill, at just the right angle to frame the mecha.

Naturally, my reaction was measured, controlled and most importantly of all, mature.

"FUCKING YES, COMBINER MECHA!" I screamed at the top of lungs, pumping my fist into the air with stars in my eyes. Below, I could see all the men having similarly natural reactions.

"A MAN'S DREAM!"

"THE HOPE OF ALL IS BORN!"

"THIS IS A MAN'S ROMANCE, GIVEN FORM!"

"THE GREATEST WEAPON OF ALL TIME!"

While the women were having such a strange reaction, staring blankly at the most beautiful creation ever devised by a human mind. Maybe they just had a bad view from where they stood? Oh well, maybe I'd ask for Gears to do it again when we finished up things here. Speaking of Gears...

"**Well then, captain**" boomed the mecha, hitting its fist against its palm. "**What do you think of the result of several weeks' worth of work and planning? You should be proud, after all you authorized the materials and everything else for it!**"

For the captain's reaction, it was exactly what I expected. Mouth agape, arms slackened by his side, eyes widened in shock… Yep, just about what it should be.

Had to give him credit, though, he recovered fairly quickly, shaking his head and straightening his pose before pointing at us menacingly with his whips. "ALL TROOPS, SEIZE THESE CRIMINALS AT ONCE! MARCH!". Behind him, the mechanical troops jerked into attention, raising their arms forward before marching ominously around Goto and towards us.

"Alright, go time it is then" I said with a grin, spinning my arm around. "I'll handle the cannon fodder, you go deal with the big boss, Gears"

"**Heh, fair enough. Try to not get smashed out there!**" replied the boy, turning his mecha around and running off towards the approaching giant tank. With a smile in my lips, I watched the machine go away, before turning back to the mass of metal getting closer.

"Alright, you knock-off Robocops… Let's do this"

**-O-**

"Hydraulics are good, structural integrity on the green, all weapons functional… Heh, sometimes, my genius surprises even myself" muttered Gears with a grin as his Brave Soldier dashed towards the massive tank he had previously built for Goto.

Honestly, it was gaudy beyond belief. Guns all over, pointing everywhere with no rime or reason, just for the sake of showing off. The sheer size making it unable to go into most city streets or enclosed spaces, meaning ambushes would be plentiful. The large treads, so easy to hit and damage with enough firepower, making the whole thing immobile.

And of course, the honest-to-god palanquin at the top with control switches hidden around it. Seriously, the only good of it was for the damned speeches the captain always gave, who would put themselves that openly on the line of fire?

No thanks, he'd rather stay inside the safety of his own designs.

"You know, I like to consider myself a professional when it comes to this kind of stuff" muttered Gears, pulling on the controls and forcing the Brave Soldier to skid to a halt, kicking up dirt and dust. The mecha slid to a halt just ahead of the tank, turning its glassy eyes towards the encroaching behemoth. "That I don't really _enjoy_ breaking and wrecking things. I'm a builder first and foremost. But right now…"

"Right now, nothing would make me happier than reducing you to scrap metal!" he yelled out, clenching Brave Soldier's fist in anger before thrusting forward both arms. "Eat this! _ROCKET PUNCH!_".

Rocket engines sprouted from the elbows, belching large red flames and shooting the forearms forward, sailing across the air. Both limbs rocketed towards the tank's treads at breakneck speed before smashing against the large wheels, metal clashing against metal as the punches struggled against the heavy plating.

Yet in the end, it was Brave Soldier's fists that won over, pushing into and through the treads' wheels, the groaning echoing loudly from within as the limbs tore into the tank's machinery, before bursting from the other side, followed by an explosion from both sides as the fists flew out and back towards their owner. And of course, in the distance…

"UOOOOOOOOOH! A MAN'S TRUE WEAPON!"

"THEY FLY WITH THE WISHES AND HOPES OF ALL OF US!"

"FISTS THAT DEFEAT ALL THAT STAND IN THEIR WAY!"

The joyful cries of those who carried the spirit of mecha in their hearts.

Thankfully, said people had made the wise decision of relocating to a place far away from the active battleground that the town had become.

Gears snickered as the flying limbs flew back towards him and docked once more with Brave Soldier. It had taken him days to figure out the right calculations to have the Rocket Punches fly back and dock perfectly with the robot, but oh had it been worth it.

Yet Gears had no time to idle around. The moment the fists returned, the engineer made Soldier jump back, just in time to dodge a salvo of cannon fire that had been aimed at him. "Tch… So the captain figured out how to control it remotely, huh?"

**-O-**

"Blasted thing, work! It's not even that far away, why does this useless trash takes so long to react?!"

**-O-**

"Well then, guess we have to kick it up a notch!"

Brave Soldier reached towards its shoulders as two handles emerged from it. Gripping both tightly, the mecha pulled them out, revealing two long double-edged swords, with a circular red emblem below the blade bearing a golden V.

"_BRAVE SWORD!_"

Dashing forward once more, Gears dodged and weaved as the ground exploded around him with cannon fire, the tank's lumbering turrets failing to keep up with the surprisingly agile robot approaching it. With a defiant shout, Gears slammed down on the pedals, making the Brave leap onto the air just as another explosion rocked the space he had occupied, flying straight towards two of the largest turrets.

"_Soldier Slash!"_

The Soldier crossed its arms in front of its chest then lashed out, slicing the barrel of three cannons clean off. Just as it began to fall back to the ground, the mecha spun its hands and stabbed straight onto the side of the vehicle, burying its blades onto the metal armor and skidding to a halt. Gears felt the servos groan at the sudden stop, but they held on tightly.

With a grunt, the engineer pushed the control levers forward with all his strength, making the mecha heave up on its swords and launching onto the air once more, this time landing right atop the vehicle. The turrets begun to turn, yet their barrels slammed against one another or simply failed to turn enough to aim at the new passenger.

Just as Gears had built them to be.

With a flick of a few switches, two twin cannons sprouted from the mecha's forearms, aimed down straight at the tank below.

"_Brave Cannon, fire!_"

Four loud explosions went off as the mecha's guns fired, blasting their rounds straight through the tank's top armor and into its internals, followed by another explosion as the metal behemoth's insides detonated from the attack. Gun turrets blew apart or jolted from the destruction of the attack, or simply belched out smoke and fell silent, sagging on their mounts as flames licked out from their seams.

Brave Soldier jumped once more off the tank, this time yanking his swords from the tank's side as he fell before crashing onto the ground for the third time in such a short span. Gears turned the mecha's gaze to the lumbering behemoth belching flame and smoke still towering above him to take in the damage he had caused.

Of the twenty-two turrets: six were destroyed, four heavily damaged, eight lightly damaged, two immobile, the rest still functional. If barely.

Threads damaged, but apparently still mobile enough to push it forward.

Plating severely damaged, internals very much on fire but still operational, and still receiving commands from Goto's remote unit.

"… I really wish me slacking off still wasn't this good" grumbled Gears. Dammit, did he really built stuff of this quality even when trying to low-ball it?! He could have gotten worst results by throwing random parts in a giant mixer and gluing the result together!

His suspicions were only made worse when, with a pained yet loud roar, the tank once more began moving forward, pieces of its armor peeling off and crashing down around the vehicle as it plodded ever onward towards the town. "Aaaahhh, hell… Alright, come on Soldier, I built you a lot better than that oversized trolley! Let's show them what we can do!" he yelled out defiantly, the mecha's eyes flashing as in agreement.

_**BOOOOM**_

In that moment, however, a large explosion went off in the direction of the town, plumes of fire and smoke reaching up to the sky. Gazing at destruction being wrought to the town, Gears simply shifted his body around and began dashing towards it.

"You better be working extra hard there, Mr. Dragon, or we're going to have _words_"

**-O-**

"_Strong Iron Wave!_"

A blast of Haki flew from my outstretched palm, slamming against three more machine soldiers and breaking them like tin toys. A breath barely escaped my lips before more gunfire peppered around me, forcing me to dash into an alleyway just as a shell from an armored car's cannon pulverized the space I had been, disappearing into the spaces between buildings.

You know, whenever they talk about fighting mooks, they never quite mention one thing: that in real life, they don't give you breathing room by coming forward one at a time.

That was the situation I found myself in. "That" being constantly running from robots that kept saying things like "Criminal detected", or "Apprehension in progress", or even a "Submit or be harmed". Because yes, I really was planning to stop and throw my arms up in surrender.

It was around the same time I expected Sanji to stop womanizing.

But for now, I was trying to inch myself my life at every second, and boy was it proving to be a chore. All my training _was_ paying off, thankfully enough, but too many close calls had piled on for my comfort. A few bullets grazing a bit too much of my skin for comfort, some explosions that I realized weren't as far as I thought them to be, a machine soldier or car here and there that popped up from blind corners…

Plus, you know, the stress of fighting in a town.

_Thankfully_, from some fluke of luck or by the hammer of good sense slamming down on the entire crowd at once, the inhabitants ran for the hills the moment the fighting started.

The men did stop to cheer on Gears when they saw him use rocket punches (seriously that had been so fucking COOL), but were dragged away by the civilians who weren't gawking.

… Not that I wouldn't have gawked myself, far from it, but fighting for my life takes priority after all. I could shout in excitement at Gears combining mecha (so FUCKING COOL) later, when I wasn't at risk of getting a few more breathing holes—

"WHOA SHIT!"

The curse barely left my lips before I rolled forward and sprawled onto the ground, a fist far larger than my head smashing swinging wide and burying itself into the wall of the building right next to where I had emerged. The large robot attached _to_ said fist simply pulled its arm free from the brick wall and turned to face me, raising both arms above its head.

"VIOLENCE WILL BE RETURNED IN EQUAL" it droned loudly before bringing its arms down towards me. Quickly, I shot up to my feet and reached for the arms, feeling the full force of the blow threaten to bury me a few feet more onto the floor.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed back against the robot's arms with all the strength I could muster, my fingers digging into the armor plating as slowly but surely, the metal limbs were pushed away from me and back towards their owner. Finally, with one roar of anger, I _pushed_ and _pulled_ on the limbs, ripping them from their sockets and unbalancing the machine soldier. Tossing them aside, I closed the distance between me and him, already feeling the Haki build on my clenched fist before I threw the punch forward.

"_Roaring Dragon Fang!_"

The attack punched clean through the robot's torso, pushing wires and electronics out from its back and splattering oil onto the floor and my arm. The robot spurted out some broken sounds before going limp atop my forearm before I pulled it back with a wince, feeling a few shards of metal poke at my skin.

No blood though, that was a plus.

A wall exploding into rubble to my side heralded the arrival of another of the larger robots, this one also with oversized fists and bearing down towards me, only jogging instead of walking like the others.

"SUBMIT FOR ARREST" it bellowed, rearing back one fist ready to punch me. I dashed forward as well, my own arm ready to throw another Fang at his chest, this one marked by—

!

T̷̨̖̩̼̞̦͚͔́h̵̢̧̞̘̫̞̺̖̻͕̼̣̪̯͊̏̅̂͌̓̿̂̈́̉̌̅͊̚̚̕͝ė̶̢̢͉̮̪̱̹͓̭̺̠̳̺̬͎̳͙̬̰͆̉̉̿͜r̷̡̫̺̩̗̾̌͑̓́̋͋̀̈́̾̎̈́̚ͅe̷̢̠̬̟̣͉͙̝̙̲͗̂̔́͆̾͌̏̑̇͐̔̂̀͆̋͊̄̀̇̿͑͘͠ ̵̧̺͎̹̘͎͚̩̰̯͊̓͑̍͂̑̋̊̿͌͗̇̂̉͑͂͂̔͑͑́̃͒̑͘͝͠y̷̛̝̣͕̬͚͕̭̜̣͈͎͔̦͓̹̝̬̦͎̳͖̼̦̻̖̬̣̪͋̈͒͋̍̇̃͑̂̐̎͑̿̿͘̚͠͠͠ǫ̴̨̧̝̮̯͕̩͖͕͓̠̩̼̺̼̫̻̟̜͙̉̅͒̑͊͆̅̌̃͑̌̈́̎͑̃̑̽̾̑͋͋͂͑̚̚͜͠͝ͅu̴̗͇͈̝͎̻̞̼͚̲͈̽̉̏̍̈̍̈̊͑̇͗̃̏̎̎͑͜ ̷̡̢̧̢̡̥͈̯̙̣͕͈̗͓̤̬̠͓̣̩̘͇͓͔͕̿͜͜a̶̱̖̖͎̙͇̯͙̥̪͙͇̗͔͎͌̌̌̓̂̈́̾͑̑̇̀͒͂͌͘͝͝ͅͅͅͅr̶̨̨̢̨̡͓͇̩̗̫͕͙̠̫̐̒͜e̷̛̛̛̛͕̥̻͖̋͒̑̅̏̈̃̿̏̌̓͆,̴̨̟̠̮͈̦̭̖̻̦͖͊͋͗̂̌̀ ̷̧̢͇̣͓̭̹͚̰̯̭̠̟͉̟̟̬͓͒͒̓̓̒̆̍̉̄͒̈̀͋̚̕͜͝m̶̨̛͚͈̘͕͈̳̤̲̟̫̺̫̙̞͓̦͋̇͂̍̆̀̋̈́̄̌̅̽̈́͘͜͝y̵̟̗͍̻̝̭̰̿́́́̉̂̐̄͆̈́̀͒̔̀̀̕͘͝͝͝ ̸̧̢̧͈̼̮͎͙̬̥̘̣̠̱̜͖͇͈̜̣̟͍̘̠͙͋̑̐͋͊̇͗͑̓̓͂͊̓̏̓̄͒̈́̕̕̕͘͠͝͝͝͝ẗ̵̛̻̙̲̩̦́͌̈́̍̈́̔́̀̓̆̑̑̏̈́̍̆̒͆̈́̿̊͋̀̊ó̸̧̬̰͚̬͖̩̞̫͈̬̭̫̫̠͒̐̔͂̔̀̂͂͑͊̽̾̏͋̇́̈́̈́̀̄̒̈́̓͂̕͠ͅͅͅy̶̨̧̨̨̛͇͚̱̮̫̯͉̟̻̼̳͉̰̟̙̺̆̈́̔̀͗̈́̏̿́͌̚͝͝͠

I felt the air being blasted out of my lungs as the robot's fist slipped past my own and smashed against my torso, my bones creaking in protest and spit flying from my mouth before I was catapulted onto a house's wall, pain flaring as my back smashed against the brick building. Gasping for breath and reeling from the pain, I dragged myself from the pile of rubble I had been buried on. The robot simply stared impassive at me, this time slowly walking forward to where I lay.

And upon its chest, it still was there.

Two wings, crossed with one another.

… No.

No… No, no no nonononoNONONONO—

R̴̡̧̛̜̠̹̙̼͔͙̣͔̈́̈́̍̒́̊͗̈́͌̂̌̈́̒̏͆͊̑͗̚͜ư̷͉͇̟̣͇͍̈́́̍̽̆́n̸̲͒̎͂̄͑͊͐̉͛͊͆͌͗͂̎̃̀̀͆͘ ̸̧̨̧̨̧̧̹̯̦̳̻͕͔̩̺̻̮͈̲͈̬̙̃͌̀̅͑̈́̑̈́ą̶̨̹̪̱̭̟͖̗͇͓͓̹͔̖͍͙̽l̵̛͓̔̈́̍͑̈́͂͒̒̌̽̌̆̈́͌̚̕ô̷͈̆̑̊̎͑̾́̔̊̽̀̅͋͝ņ̴̺̰̫̝̹͖̥͈̼̞͌͒̈́̒̂͛͆̑̑̓̒͊̾̑̈́̿͊̾̓̿̎ͅḡ̶̛̪̼̥̦̪͇̭͊̃̎͂͋̊̊̀͐̇̇͛̇̑̿̆͠ ̸̣̰̘͉̫͇̯̹̦̳̉̑̄̀̂̄̈́̑̽̃̏̉̕͝ň̸̢̛̛͕̝̹̯̙͚̣̹͍̿͐͊̓͑̓͛̊ǫ̷̨̧̛̛̪̫̦̺͙̓̒̏͒̈̓̑͗́̓̅̉́̉̃̀̓͝w̸̨̧̼͖̬̪̟͓̙̟̝͑͌̎̄̄̒̐͘̕ͅ

So I ran.

I ran, all my determination and will to fight gone.

I ran like the Devil was behind me.

And all around, I could see it. It was marked on every robot, on every armored car, even on store fronts.

Those two wings, following me.

More bullets flew past and around me, missing me by inches or even scrapping my skin. I threw myself onto another alleyway, barely avoiding another cannon shell as it sailed over my head only to instead feel all air being pushed from my lungs as a large fist slammed against my chest and made my ribcage rattle, followed by me not-so-gracefully flying back and onto a building's wall. I felt the bricks break apart into pebbles and dust as I went through it, landing against a large wooden table and breaking it in two.

I gasped out for breath as the pain wreaked hell on my chest, feeling the blood trickle down the side of my mouth even as I dragged myself from the pile of rubble and broken furniture that laid under and around me, just in time to witness more mechanical soldiers walking into the building through the hole I made, with an armored car outside aiming its turret towards me. I dragged myself onto all fours on the floor, staring up as they pointed their weapons towards me, saying something that I couldn't really hear over the ringing in my ears. And emblazoned on all of them… Those wings.

Those… _damned WINGS!_

Į̷̧̛̪͚͚̱̰̬̠̭̺̪̫͙͖͇̙͍̝͈̪̖̖͎̱̫̜̝̘̇̍̋̒̈́̐̚̚̚͜s̷̢̛̬̻̟̤̥̘̪̲̗̖͔͛̔̐ ̵̘̫̟͕̪̣̞̍̈́͑̈́͋̈́̌̽̓̔̓̃̽͋̈̅̿̕t̷̡̡̳͕̠̤̼͓̰̬̦̦̙̦̦͓̜͙̼͉͇̻̬̣̥̯̝̱̫̜̻̒̈́͛̃͐͋̉̅͛̂͠ͅͅͅh̵̛̰͕͓̦͔̮̜̥̼̼̼͉̞͙͔͍̤̩͎̾͒̇͂̀̀̀͗̂͌́̃̉̓̽͜͝à̴̢̛͚̳̞̗͓͈̦̒̈̊͑͂͂̃̽͆͒̓̄̎̾͆͌̊̚͘͘̚͜͝͝͝t̷̛̻̥̰̜̼̰͖̠̮̤̜̫̜̜̜̙̺͔̋̾̎̇͋̒́̃̿̽̽̍̉̀̍̆̄͛̈͆̔͑̇̄͛̋̓̓̌̔̕̕̕ ̸̨̧̨̧̢̻̯̪̠̲̲̲̪̮͎̻̻̯̭͓͍̣̫̙͙̞͛̅̽͋̄̎̄̿͛͐̀̐̋͒̓͑̀̕͘͝a̴̧͍̟̪̩̟̩̦̩͔̜͚̦͈̻̯͑̀́̓͂͗̕̚ͅl̶̢̡̛͂̔̍̈́͒̽̓̋͌̒̅́̑́͝͠͝͝ļ̶͖̩͎̜̖̣͈͓̞̫̣̲̳̪̳̮̖̳̏͂͑͐͒̾̽͜ ̴̢̢̡̛̬̫̩̣͈̼͖͕͖̣͙̯̱͆͊̄͊́̄͊̑̽͆͗̇̏̈́͛͛̈́́̐̅̆̈̈̀̈́̿̿̈͑͘͘̚͘͝͠͠ẙ̸̨̢̛̬̫̩̼̺̥͙͉̲̱̀́̋̎̑͋͆̔̍͗͋̍̐̕͜͝o̶̡̖̺̫̦̜̭̫̖͉͕̺̳̰̙̲͙̓͜ư̴̧̨̨̢̼̥͍̬̗̭̫̹̤̝̫̤̱͍̘͓̣͇̻̼̜͐͑̈́̒̍̒̎̅̊̈͂̑̿̚ ̶̧̢̗̗̠̫̮͖̰̙̰͍̬̮̗̯̬̫̱̝̜̗̬̺̘̈́́̂̀̍̾́̔͝ͅḧ̸̡̛͈̥̤̞͚̮͍͕̮̼͉́̏̾̾̓̓̈́͆̃͆̓͒̀̓̄͋̾̍̌̾̐͆̂͑͌̂͒̄̈͋̄̆͊͘͘ą̸̩̫̘̖̲̝͙̥͖̘̰͐̃̋̃̉̃̅̿͂̐͗̆͋̃̔̈́͑̑́̆͆̌͆̀̍̉́̋̃̕̚͜͝͠͠͝v̵̢͕͙͕̲̥͖̪̲͖̻̺̪͙̯̬̻̘̖͇̜̳͖̱̲͊̈́̉̇̀̅̓̅̕͜e̷̢̩͍̖̹̻̩̥̞̘̫̯̘̰̫̻̖̻̱̲̟̩̻̖̻̯̘͔̫͓̹̳̬͒̇͗̾̑͐́̆̈́͊͛͘̚͜͝͝ͅ,̶̧̨̡̛̛̩̟͈̰̬̭͕̘̱̙͚̳͙̱̣̣̰͉͎͉̯͓̩̮̍̀̓̒̓̅̀͌͌̏̅̈̃̊̀̍͐͒̈̿̿͋̿̚͜ ̵̢̖̲̮͕̼̬͚̠̀͌̽̓̃͂̈́́́͑͑͐̐̓̇̑̀̂́̋̐͗͌͆́̓̎̅̏͗̕̕͘͠͠l̷̡̯̗͚̤̗͈͌͌i̷̢̡͇̬̮̥̯̜̖̱̱̖̜̻̰̫̣̰̦̯̤͔̬͔̬̭̮̦͎̙̖̤̾͗̏̋̔̋̔̀̐̇̈́͗̈́̐̆͛͌̋̐̌̀̈́̚͜ͅͅͅṯ̷̢̥͖͙͂̐̈́̃͋̇̊̋̎̒́̂̿̀͐̈́̆͂̽̃͋̒̉͋̀̔͌̅̆̌͘͘͘̕͠͝͠t̸̞̫̠̦͓̐l̷̨̢̛̳̣̟͓̫̖̟̱̲̻̦͖̼͐̑̎͆̔̋̋̏̎̎̌͋̆͂́͘͘̕͜͝ͅȇ̴̡̨̛̬͖͍̠͙̬̘͚̥͈͓͙͈̜̺̫̝̟̩̣͍̖̥̬͇͔͔̲̒͑̿̏͋̐̓̊̍̿̀̆̎̈́̽̒̉̎̚͜͝͝͝ ̴̢̡̪͙͙̯͎̜̲̗̱̬̦̪̈̎̌̋͊̎̾̍̔̾͛̊̓̒̽͗ͅp̸̛͍̟̗̗͕̲͆̑̎̍̏͌̏̓̉̃̈̂̍͒̓͐̋̿̂͛l̸̪͉̟͉͎̪͕̳̖̼̕ą̷̨̧̫̫̳̝͇̝̪̮͖̩͔͈̬͖̳͕̩͈̝͉̃̄̋̿́̅̋̀̀̿̋͐̕ͅỳ̴̢̨̨͚͎͓͎͓͉̦̰̳̫̪̬̰̖̝̗̞̹̮̣̱̹͙͍̳̤̜̃́̍̊̐͊̎͆̓͗͂̅́̋̽̊͝ͅt̸̛̛̛͇̬̭͈̞͓͙̬̗̟̲̙͉̰̖͖̜͒̏͒̓̉̆̾̂̾̈́̀̈́̅͊́̌͛̍̓͒̔̈́͊̕͝ͅḩ̷̛̛̲͇̼͇̞̩̥̤̙̩͚̭̬̥̣̭̙̻̜͓̻͇̘̑͗͒͋͆̒̈́͑̓͛͊̀̉̑́̎̀̉͛͛̀̊̈́̓̕͜ͅȉ̸̧̧͇͔̜̩͈̻̹͍̳̳̬̙̫͈̙͖̫̯̞͚͙̫͆͂͊̉̍́̽̅̈́̏͛͒̾͒̿̎̋̈́̎̒̈́͗̕͝͝ͅͅņ̶̧̛͕͉̥͙̝͚̠̼̬̦̦̱̗̮̪̤͎̰̝͕̺̳̟̲͓̭̲̦̪͍̭͇̣͊̄͊̍̓̏̿̇͗̑͛ͅģ̵̨̨̢̢̢̨̧̧̛̛͈̹̘̼̝͙̤̣̩͇͙̦͕̮̣͚̜͔̮̪̹̟́̌͒̄̈̇͗͒̈̍̾̒͒̅͝͝?̷̢̛̛̳̗͎̦̮͙͈͉̹̰͕̟̳̼̺̳͚̳̫̥̤͍̻͓̅͑̔̿̀̅̑̈́͌̐̈̀͑̃͂͒͊̓̾̈́̏́͌̄͛̓͜͜͠͝

I felt my fear drain away seeing it once more.

Instead, I felt something else take its place. Something familiar to me.

Anger.

"_EXPLODING ROAR WAVE!_" I screamed, driving my fist onto the floor with all the strength I could muster. I felt the Haki explode from my fist and into a wave of pure force that barreled towards the robots. Even as they fired, the bullets were pushed aside by the attack and away from me, before crashing onto the foot soldiers. Their bodies were flung aside easily, slamming against the interior of the building or away onto the street as the attack finally struck the armored car, tearing a hole clean through it. A pillar of flame and smoke rose into the sky as the mangled vehicle exploded and I crossed my arms in front of my face to shield me from the debris, though that did nothing to stop me from flying back into the pile of debris that I had so graciously caused earlier.

When the dust settled, there was nothing but broken machines inside the destroyed room. A few small flames still burned against whatever wood was intact, the floor above had collapsed and spilled broken furniture into a neat pile, and one of the doors from the armored car had flown and buried itself into the wall, _dangerously_ close of having almost lopped my right arm off.

With those damn wings glowing right there, emblazoned proudly on the dull green metal.

How… **HOW…**

Ḩ̸̡͈̼̮̗̯͍̭̰͖̤̬̜̈́̀a̶̛͖͉͇͈̜̲̘͇̥̮̺̪̤̿̔͊́͂͛̅͘͜͝ͅv̵̋͜͝e̵̢̛͔͇̗̣̘̗͈͎̟̤̭͓͇̜̗̣̦͂̌̄̆̾́̃̉̀̓̔̃̀͌͐́̃̍̋̕̕ ̶̡͕̱̭̳̦̦̘̪̮̌͑́̌̀͆͑̈́͂̅̈͐̀͛͆͛͗̍͘͠͝f̴̛̳̞͔̻͕͓͔̺̫͍̭̰̝̒̆̊̓͗͋̈́̇̉́̑́͜͜͝ͅư̶̬͎͉̻͓͕̲͖̞̈́̋́̊̋ņ̵̢͍̰͓̼͙̳̦̱̳͚͙̠̱̣̦̥͎̹̟̳͙̺̪̭̂̇̏͂͌̀̓̂͐̒̾̋̇̿̌̚̚ͅ,̴̨̢̙̘̲͖͖͓̼̮̘̹͚̮̦̠̫͔̭̥̜͈̳͉̥͗́̒̇͛̿̍͑͂̊̑̓̑̕͜͜͝ͅ ̵̧́̑̂͐͑͆̿̐̊͊́́̊̎̌͂̓́͛̀̀͗͌̎͘͝͝l̸͔͍͕͎̣̰͉͎̻͖̰̯͓̓̐́͗͌̑̅̽͜i̴̹̅̉͊͑̊̄̾̃͌̽̉̏͗͗͆̽͗̾̓̐͜͝͠t̸̼͊̑͌̀̑͆̌̆͋̿̐͝͝t̵̢̨͖̫̹̭͇̹̺̥̗̞̰̼͖͕͎̯̘̞͐̏̿̈́͐͋̂̒̃̌͐̊́̆̆͛̃̊̕̕͜ͅl̷̡̢̧̢̰͍͈̞̖̥̹̾̾̈͑̋͠ͅȅ̶̦̋̋͗̋̋̃̿̂͑̃̄͛̑̋̕ ̶̛͉͔̩̼̳̭̦́̽̄̓͛͛̾̿̈́̒͑̑͐̀̓̎̓̐͘͠͠ò̴̡̝̭͕͖͍̤̟̱͔͉̗̗̳͔̤͉̝͇͙̩̠͓̰̤͛̏̃̀͘ͅn̷̨̛̯̳̦̦̪̪̲͎̙̩͖̤̥̻͎̝̣̘̖̄̇̈̄̔̓̌͒̇̇̿̓̔̑͛͆̕̕͝ę̶̢̡̩̯̠͇̰̳̻̟͓̦̦͉̟͍̬͈͔̭̘͋̈́͆̈́͆̊̎́̓͒̍̂̍̈́̅̈́͂̐̌̽̊̿̆͘͝~̴̛̝͎̹̜̲̦̘̣̺̜̥̮̗͓͉̦͕͆̍͗̅͊̆̆́̊́̓̌̄̒̎̀͋͘̚͝͠ ̸̢̧̡̧̛̳̟̙͕̙͙̙̻̖̥̬͚̣̳̝̭̦̯͓̦̪͇̉͋̌͒̓̐̉͗̀̊͂̚͝I̸̧̞̜̬̞̝̥͇̠̪̜̺̞̗̣̠̦̫̘̺͑̂͋̌͛̀̿͘'̵̧̛̞̳͎̟͖̯̗̯̰͈͉͕̘̤̑̌̋͊̏͊̉̈́́̾͛̃̒̈̿̐̈́̽̅̈́̑̍̋̈̌̍͘l̴̨͙̩̦̪̲̝͖̞̮̱̻̹̣̮̝͍͎̲̉̌̽̒̌̓̑͜͜͜ḽ̴̨̢̺̪͚̖͕͎̰͖̲̥̝̮͔͇̟̬̪͗̈́̾́̒̊̎̃͑̈́͝͝ ̵͕̯̠̗̯̙̘̩̪̦͚̝͓̠̳̊͆̔͘k̴͈̬͉͉̹͒e̸̳̺̠̣̣̳̔ͅȩ̴̧̨̡̨̻̝̺̱̟̠̠̜͎̭̯͙̝͍̰͍͇͔͈̣̱̫̈̋͐̐̀͒͊͊̿̓͗̎͠͠͝͝p̵̢̙͚͔̾͐̉̂̽̀̃͂̿̉̈́̒̆͆̊͒̓̓͘̕͜͝͝ ̴̡̨̛͈̬̭͕͔̖̝̦̭̰͉̗͎̯̆͛͂͒͒̈̑̚͠w̷̩̞̗̼̤͔̉̍͗̄͐̍̂͐͂́̈́͑̔́̀̑͑̄̏͘͝á̸̛̛̼̜̆͛̓̄̊̓̽͒̔̎͊͑̈́̓̎̌̉̀̕͝t̵͚͍̭̥̥̲̝̗͆ć̷̨̧̛̛̙͙̫̘̼͕̲̹̼͉̖̬̘͍̟͖̯̙̦͕̲̓̓̈́͋̀̆̇̄̔͋̋͆̿̋̄͑͊̃̽͂͝͝͝h̷̨̢̬̤̩͚̞̫̫͎̳̹͐̈́̈͂̀̒̄̊͋̄ͅ~̶͇͖̼͓̥͔̞̈͂̇̀̅́͊̿͊͒́̅́̇́̌͆̾̂̐͘̚͝͝

And just like that, they stopped glowing, leaving only a faint blue symbol stamped on the metal surface.

Dammit… Dammit all…

The sound of more explosions coming from further away drew me from the last dregs of the rage haze I was swimming on and made me shoot to my feet. That proved to be a horrible mistake, considering the _mind-bogglingly intense_ pain that flared up from it.

"MOTHER-! What in the-!? … Oh".

My planned rant was cut short when I noticed the several shards of metal buried in my legs, and the quite numerous trickles of blood seeping down the barely plugged holes they had created and remained on.

Cool looking in an extremely sick and twisted way? Definitely.

Most likely to hamper my fighting ability? Like you wouldn't believe it.

Capable of stopping me?

Pffft. As if.

And so, with some of the worst pain I had felt in quite some time, I limped my way to the sources of the still on-going explosions, hoping to high heaven and low hell that I could fight immobile.

And that Gears could handle himself for now.

**-O-**

"Definitely… Not my best… Test run!"

Said boy genius growled through grit teeth as he jerked the Brave Soldier in every conceivable angle his joints would allow to dodge the mountain of gunfire being thrown at him, from both the flaming yet mobile wreck of the gigantic tank still heading towards the town, and from the gathered mass of robots and trucks that were now lining the edge of the same town and firing _their_ weapons at him. A few bullets did manage to hit him, but thankfully the Soldier's armors had just barely been nicked, with only three having gotten through.

_**SHUNK**_

… Make that four.

And the worst part? He couldn't even fire back. If he stopped, he'd get hit, and if he started getting hit, then amazing construction or not the Brave Soldier would not last. What he needed was an opening, just anything would do! Just enough to use his finishing move…

A cannon shot blasted the ground next to him with a new crater, followed by another going off right in front of him. The mecha was launched back by the shockwave, and barely managed to right itself in time to cross its arms and block the subsequent barrage that washed over him, with one lucky shot piercing through the forearm and straight into the built-in cannons. When the alarm blared inside the cockpit, Gears barely had time to widen his eyes and slam down on the "Left Arm Purge" button before sparks flew from the forearm, and with a burst of smoke the limb exploded with enough force to stumble the Brave Soldier and make Gears jerk around and slam his head against the sides of the cockpit, earning him a cut on his temple that quickly began trickling blood. With a pained growl, the boy put a hand over the cut, feeling the warm liquid run against his skin, before wiping it away crudely with his sleeve, just in time to hear the ever-increasingly annoying laugh of the captain as he climbed aboard the half-wrecked tank, posing grandiosely as he pointed and laughed.

"KOKOKOKOKOKO! I thought you were going to give me a lesson in firepower, boy, not fireworks!" chortled the man as he forced the molten vehicle to maneuver until it was parked right in-between all the machines that had gathered to fight.

"Oh I'll give you fireworks alright" muttered the engineer as he made Brave Soldier rise up and grasped a control stick right in the middle of the cockpit, flipping the cover of the Big Red Button atop it and making a target reticle appear from the control panel. "Come on, just keep gloating…"

"And in the end, all for nothing! Look at you and your feeble creation, kneeling in defeat in the face of what you called simple toys! But now you see, that is the might of Absolute Justice! And it shall never be defeated, just as this new iron fortress of the Marines will not fall at the hands of criminals!"

"Just a little more… Stay right there…"

"But enough babbling! Now… Now you're finished! ALL UNITS, OPEN-!"

_**BOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

"… Fire?"

Goto's grandstanding gave way to confusion as he turned to witness the fresh scrap that had become the right side of his formation fly all around, a ball of fire and smoke slowly vanishing to reveal a figure holding in its grasp a smoking cannon, with a pained grin plastered in their face.

"Hey there. Hope I didn't miss much" called out Saga as he set down the cannon and took up a shaky stance, his legs wobbling a bit from the injuries still on them.

It was just what Gears had needed. Just as the captain made to order his machines to turn and fight, Gears forced Brave Soldier to stand up and pressed the button on the control lever.

"Got ya! Eat this! _BREAST FIRE!_"

The armor plates on the mecha's chest opened, revealing two large turbines glowing bright red beneath them, which quickly flashed…

And launched a _massive_ red wave of pure heat at the large tank. Goto barely had time to begin screaming before the attack slammed against the damaged vehicle, a massive flare erupting at the contact point. Slowly but surely, what little plating remained began giving way and melting down under the attack as explosions began rocking the tank, one of them launching Goto off the vehicle and through the window of a building.

And thus, as what little ammunition that remained inside the machine was struck by the heat beam and ignited, the tank was enveloped in a _gigantic _fireball that erupted from within, launching bits of metal and wrecked parts all around. The flames quickly expanded outwards, engulfing the robots and cars that surrounded the place and tossing them aside like ragdolls, barreling quickly towards the damaged Soldier and injured Saga. The mecha braced itself as best as it could moments before the shockwave washed over it, pushing it back enough to make it dig through the ground, while Saga took the cannon and slammed it barrel-first into the ground as a makeshift anchor and shield just as the scraps and flames began flying around him, the fighter gritting his teeth as his legs buckled under him and forced him to his knees.

And just as fast as it began, it ended. The explosion subsided and the flames settled, leaving behind only the still echoing boom, scant pockets of burning fire…

And a ruined edge of town that had its limit decreased by one street.

Overall? It could be worse.

With a hiss, the head of the Brave Soldier pulled back and the chest fully opened, allowing Gears to rise from his seat and peer at the destruction they had rather unwittingly caused. Further away, Saga finally let go of his makeshift anchor and rose from the ground with a scrunched expression of pain, blinking until he finally managed to clear his vision, at which point he let out a low whistle.

"… So… You think we can still spin in our favor?" he asked sheepishly, limping his way towards the Brave Soldier as Gears slid his goggles off and leaned against the edge of the cockpit.

"… Depends… As long as we clean up the bulk of this whole thing… Maybe we can—"

_**Crrreeeeeeeak—CRACK! CRASH!**_

"… Yeah forget it we're screwed" he finished, watching another building collapse under its own weight, kicking up yet another cloud of dust.

"You certainly… Are"

Both quickly turned their heads and watched in differing levels of surprise as Captain Goto dragged himself from beneath a massive pile of wreckage, looking not quite as grandiose as he did before.

His coat was burned in several spots, his shirt torn to a simple belt, a few missing teeth and one black eye, not to mention one boot missing and only one whip hanging from his hip. Had he been on his underwear, it would not have changed much.

"You… You miserable little _punks_…" growled the man as he grasped the handle of his whip with a shaking hand. "My dreams… My _destiny_… You've crushed it all into bits!"

"Well, what can I say? It looked like a fun thing to do!" snarked back Saga, even though he suddenly stumbled while walking and barely managed to keep himself upright. The fact he looked a bit too pale did not paint a good picture.

"Fun, he says… Fun… Fun! I'LL SHOW YOU FUN, YOU PATHETIC INSECT!" screamed the Marine, heaving his whip back…

_**SNAP**_

Only to suddenly find it stuck taut and unmoving, only to have the weapon return and smack against the back of his head. With his anger fuming even further than before, he threw the whip aside and spun to face his back. "WHO DARES TO INTERRUPT—H-Hrgh!"

Only to have his words die a horrible, _horrible_ death in his throat, at the same time Gears and Saga's hopes plunged into the same pit of hopelessness.

"… Correction…" muttered the engineer, the sweat building on the back of his neck at an alarming pace, while Saga simply swallowed a massive dry lump. "We are _unbelievably fucked_".

And all they could do was watch as a tall, imposing figure draped in a long black and white trench coat with a tornado painted on each side, a commissar cap emblazoned with a red anchor atop his head, pipe resting in his lips and hands held behind his back strode towards them, his expression placid as his deep green eyes shifted from the trembling Captain Goto to the engineer and fighter standing like deer in the headlights.

"Gentleman" he spoke calmly, before taking his pipe from his lips and blowing a perfect smoke circle from his mouth. "I believe there is some explanations to be given"

"C-Commodore Soku…"

**~O~**

**I finished it.**

**It was already about half-written, so I decided to finish it before continuing the next Discarded Blade/Burning Fire chapter, mostly as a manner of de-stressing, and also because this story is a bit more… Light-hearted… Than the other two.**

**This chapter also probably is a good mess, because this begun being written when I was still working, so I'd write it while half-sleep deprived after coming home. Oh well…**

**In the end, I'd rather drop it with a half-weird, half mostly-alright composition rather than lose my mind trying to fix it. The next chapter (whenever it comes) will be more concise, since I hope to have it written as a single work rather than made at broken intervals.**

**And to those worried I'd end up being the usual powerhouse SI, worry not! I'll get my ass kicked plenty :^)**

**I might come back to it more later on, but I'm happy with this for now.**

**Until the next chapter, folks!**


End file.
